A Similar Goal
by Dashboardjen
Summary: Part one is complete! Ch 20 is up!
1. The Dawning

Chapter 1

The Dawning

The triumphant smile on Rory's face had yet to diminish as she departed from her grandfather and entered her dorm room. She continued basking in the glow of her payback as she dropped to her bed preparing to study for her psychology midterm. Just as she started reading about Pavlov's famous dog, her mind began to wander back to the events of the day. She could not help but smile thinking about the shocked look on Logan's face as her grandfather told him about their upcoming wedding.

After Marty's blunt revelation, Rory had thought of little else aside from Logan and how to pay him back after his rude interruption during her class accompanied by his two fellow cronies. In the past Rory has had to deal with the unusual and irritating tactics of the opposite gender, but none has irritated her as much as Logan. She was convinced that Logan assumed he could get anything he wanted because of his good looks and "charming" personality. That is why Rory was so proud of her inability to fall for his antics. She was able to coexist with Logan and remain unaltered by his boyish good-looks, his witty personality, his charm, his friends…

The smile that settled on Rory's face slowly diminished as she thought about Logan. After months of tolerating his escapades Rory feared that she may not be as strong as she thought.

"Oh my GOD," she thought out loud. "I like him. I really truly like him."

Who was she trying to fool? Logan was her match. He was the perfect balance of the good boy Dean and the bad boy Jess. He was fun, smart, daring, sweet and thrilling all encased in a handsome package. Sure he irritated her to no end, but after each encounter with him she was left breathless and intrigued.

The simple fact that she realized her feelings for him angered Rory. She did not want to be one of his many female followers. She was not the kind of girl who flirted and flounced around the male species in attempt to get their attention. In fact, Rory spent most of her time completely ignorant of how guys felt towards her. That is what attracted most of them to her. She is unlike any other girl in that respect. She is beautiful in the simple traditional form of beauty, she is intelligent, she is witty and she can hold her own in most situations.

In the past Rory became awkward around the guys she fell for. She developed a fight or flight pattern and spent most of her time running from the possibility of any type of romantic relationship. Dean and Jess both turned her into a bumbling fool in their presence. She turned into the type of girl she hated. The type of girl who calls their crushes and hangs up, or spend hours watching them from afar, too scared to do anything about it.

After Dean's second go around, Rory was determined to stay away from the opposite gender and focus on school and the paper. She even had herself convinced that men were no good and would only distract her from school. Thus, during the whole Logan debacle, she did not even consider the possibility that she may have feelings for him. She just assumed that she would continue on with her boy hiatus and focus on school. In fact, it was not until Marty pointed out that Logan had a school-boy like crush on her that Rory even considered Logan as anything more than an irritant. Now that it dawned on her that she was in fact crushing on Logan, she feared what her next step would be.

Rory picked up her cell phone preparing to call Logan. She wanted to talk to him about her prank and make sure he was not left in a shock induced coma after her grandfather's stunning performance. After punching in the first few numbers, Rory thought better of calling him and put her phone down. Determined to keep him off her mind, Rory returned to the intriguing world of Pavlov. After reading the same sentence five times, again Rory picked up her cell phone and this time completed her call.

"Santa's workshop…this is head elf Gribbles, what can I do for you?" said the comforting voice.

"Mom!" Rory nearly shouted, "I need your help, I think I may have feelings for a certain guy, and I don't know what to do."

"Oh wow Rory, I did not think we would have to have the 'Birds and the Bees' chat, especially after Dean, but I guess it is time. When a girl and boy love each other, certain feelings start to overwhelm them…"

"Oh shut up mom." Rory interrupted her. "I seriously don't know what to do about this. I have never played at this caliber before."

"Well first things first…who is the lucky guy? No wait don't tell me, let me guess…I am going to say George Clooney. And really, you have good taste. He does claim to be in a permanent state of bachelorhood, but I bet with the right girl he would settle down…so you are taking on good 'ol George hu?"

"Seriously Mom, can't you take anything seriously? I am going crazy here!"

"Okay fine. You have my full, undivided attention. I am sure, however, that George is going to be heartbroken once he hears you like another man."

"It is Logan mom. I like Logan…okay? Enough about George. I mean really, did you see him in Batman? He does not compare to Michael Keaton! Like I would ever have a thing for George Clooney, I mean really, what is he? 60?"

"Hang on there my beautiful offspring. Are you telling me outright that you have a crush on Logan? You are going to admit it fully. You are not going to deny that you have feelings and run and hide in your room? You are not going to call him and hang up, too scared to tell him how you feel? You are going to embrace your feelings for this guy and see how it goes? You are going to fly in the face of fear and go out with this Logan character and see how it plays out?"

"WELLLL….I never said any of that. I finally just admitted to myself that I like him, and that is why I called. You know that I am not any good when it comes to boys. I never know how to act or what to say. You make it look so easy. You manage to wow them with your feminine whiles and you leave them in a bumbling heap. I on the other hand, turn into the bumbling heap when around the guys I like, and thus need a plan on how I can wow Logan without looking like a complete idiot."

"Oh my dear naïve child. Don't you realize that it is just this behavior that wows these guys? That is what they like about you. Look at Jess and Dean, they liked your innocence and your brains. They did not care if you could flirt and bat your eyelashes."

"Okay, that makes sense and everything mom, but this is not Jess or Dean. Logan is different, I want to impress him. I want to get his attention and I want him to know that I am not like anybody else he has ever dated."

"Okay Jr., I think that desperate times call for desperate measures."

With that Lorelei and Rory began hatching their plan to win over one Logan Huntzberger.

So this is my first Fanfiction story, but I thought that I could maybe write something kinda interesting. I thought that all of the stories about how Logan liked Rory first were getting repetitive or something, so I thought I would mix it up a bit. Please R&R


	2. The Rebuttal

Chapter 2

The Rebuttal

After Mr. Gilmore walked away from the quad Colin smacked Logan on his back saying "Wow Logan, I think you have finally met your match."

"My match?" Logan blankly looked from Colin to Finn hoping for a broader definition.

"Obviously mate." Finn declared "The girl sure beat you at your own game with that one. Why, you did not think that her grandfather was serious did you?"

"Ha, of course not Finn, I was just a little shocked that she enlisted the help of her grandfather to get back at me. I was not expecting it, that's all. I knew that he was not serious." Logan answered darting his eyes back and forth between his two best friends.

Of course he knew that she was kidding. Rory had this strange love-hate relationship with him, but in no way did he ever think that she liked him as anything more than a friend. However, the prospect of her liking him was slightly intriguing. Rory was an amazing girl and he looked forward to their chance encounters. He even went so far as to enlist the help of Colin and Finn to play a role in his little…spectacle. Granted, it did not have the affect he was hoping for and actually turned Rory away from him even further. Logan knew that if he was going to win her heart he was going to have to change his action plan.

The fact that he was even considering putting himself on the line for Rory scared Logan. He was used to getting any girl he wanted. By no means was Logan full of himself, he was just confident in his appearance, and his family name never hurt things either. Because he had spent the majority of his dating life fickly going from girl to girl, Logan had very little patience when it came to wooing the fairer sex and he realized that if he wanted to be with Rory he would have to change his ways. She was unlike the majority of his girlfriends in that she had substance. She was just as beautiful inside as she was outside. Her intelligence and sharp wit hooked Logan from the beginning. The only problem is that Rory would never feel the same way. Although she tolerates him as a friend, he knew that she would never be willing to take it any further. Logan was too afraid of jeopardizing their friendship in attempts to form any sort of romance.

"I think that the old man had Logan going…don't you agree Finn?" Colin asked as they made their way back to the dorms.

"I have no doubt that he had Logan fooled my friend, no doubt. But what I am unsure about is whether or not the idea of being with Rory is appealing to Logan. Because if he is not going to go after the fair maiden's heart, I think that I surely will."

Logan could not help the look of surprise that spread across his face. Finn with Rory? That would never work! They are totally wrong for one another. Rory needs a man who is more caring and genuine. She did not need someone like Finn who would most likely simply use her and then move on.

"Ah yes Finn, I do believe that his look has said it all" Colin said after catching Logan processing this new turn of events. "So what is your next move Logan? The prank in class was obviously not the right approach, I think she is more of the chocolate and flowers kind of a gal."

"Who said anything about me wanting to be with Rory?!?! I simply thought that she was too uptight and that our little prank would help loosen her up and enjoy what are supposed to be the best years of our lives." Logan argued.

"No Logan, you did not say anything about wanting to be with Rory, but you did not have to. You are way too easy to read. We have known for weeks now that you had a thing for the reporter, and your classroom stunt only helped solidify our theory" Colin told him in all seriousness.

Colin and Finn were right. It was about time that Logan went after Rory. Now that she was finally broken up with Dean and moving on he could not think of a better time to ask her out. The only problem was if she had any remote interest in looking at him as anything other than a friend.

"So lets say that I did want to go out with her" Logan started, "what would you recommend I do first?"

With that, Logan, Colin, and Finn began hatching their plan to win over one Rory Gilmore.


	3. The Gilmore Plan

Chapter 3

The Gilmore Plan

Rory met her mother in front of her grandparent's pool house the next Friday, as they gathered the strength to face the elder Gilmore's in the now routine dual rounds. As soon as Lorelai stepped out of her Jeep and spotted Rory casually sipping her coffee, she broke out in her signature smirk.

"So here is my favorite love struck daughter." Lorelai joked as she approached Rory. "What are you planning on doing next? Chase him in the playground?"

"Yes mother, I was planning on chasing him and poking him and irritating him to no end…oh no wait, you must have me confused with…you!" Rory retorted as she threw her empty cup in the dumpster before walking towards the house.

"Well I just think it is cute that you are coming to me for tips on how to get the guy. I mean seriously, I know I am older, wiser, more beautiful, more experienced and more entertaining, but what made you think to come to me?"

"Ha mom, older is about the only nail you hit on the head with that one." Rory quipped.

"I am going to pretend I did not hear that last comment. Anyway, Lane is an expert at devising complex schemes, wouldn't she be best?"

"Yes, Lane is an expert when it comes to sneaking around her mother, but when it comes to matters of the heart I feel that the person who knows me best would have the greatest advice to offer. Besides, you know what kind of person Logan is, and thus will be able to infiltrate the system best. Lane is inexperienced when it comes to this high class etiquette."

"Right you are my dear protégé. So is now a good time for us to go over Operation SLH?" Lorelai asked innocently.

"Operation SLH?" Rory asked.

"Yeah, Operation Steal Logan's Heart. I am not fond of the code name, but I exercised all of my creativity when coming up with the operation in question." Lorelai responded.

"Well mom, as much as I want to hear all about Operation SLH, we unfortunately have to attend our annual Friday Night Dinner with the lovely couple who is paying for my college education."

"But, but, but…this is for you baby!" Lorelai wined.

"Shhh dear, I know, I know, but this comes first. And the longer we stand out here, the more worried Grandpa is going to get about us. The longer we put off our obligatory hour with him, the longer Grandma is going to make us stay with her to make up for what she will assume to be the extra time we spent with Grandpa, so really there would be no winning." Rory told her mother in a soothing voice.

"Fine, lets just do this so we can go home and play with all the neat spy gear I got for the Operation." Lorelai said in a purely gleeful tone.

"Spy gear?!?! Mom, what are you planning on doing to him?" Rory said in shock.

"Oh Rory, for my offspring and best friend, you sure don't know me that well do you?" Lorelai joked.

"Urgh" was Rory's only response as she went to open the pool house door that was currently operating as her grandfather's home during the elder Gilmore's separation.

"Welcome my girls," came the booming voice of Richard from the sitting area. "Rory my dear, how did things go with Logan after our encounter? I got really caught up in the moment, thank you for letting me help you with that." Richard said with a positively gleeful look.

Lorelai sent a questioning raised eyebrow towards her daughter which she ignored and responded to her grandfather by saying, "Thank you so much for helping me out with that. I still have not talked to Logan about it, but I am thinking that he is still shell shocked by it."

"Yes, when I left him I thought I may have had to call 911 and start giving him CPR." Richard joked.

"Or Rory would have to give him CPR" Lorelai said with a snide look.

"Hmm, Rory give Logan CPR? Did I miss something? Why would Rory want to give Logan CPR? I thought she was mad at him?" Richard said looking positively confused.

"Oh don't listen to her Grandpa, she tends to get things confused. You know how mom can be." Rory said flushing red with embarrassment. She could not believe that her mom would say something like that. No, wait, she could believe it, but she did not want her to say it to her grandfather. Rory knew that her grandparents did not approve of her past boyfriends and they always hoped that she would meet someone who met their standards whilst at Yale.

"I always thought that Rory and Logan would be nice together. The Huntzbergers are close friends of ours and I have known Logan for years. He is a little rough around the edges, but as soon as he finds the right girl I am sure he will settle down really quickly." Richard said to Rory with a suggestive gleam in his eye.

"And I know that Rory could be just the girl to help him settle down." Lorelai added.

"So have you given it any thought Rory? I know I helped you with the little payback mission, but have you thought about forming some kind of relationship with Logan? I would be happy to put a good word in with the Huntzbergers." Richard suggested.

"Oh I don't think that will be necessary Dad. Rory and I are working on our own plan of attack." Lorelai pointed out.

"Shhh mom, I don't want everyone knowing about this." Rory glared at her mother.

"So you do like the boy then?" Richard asked. "This is very interesting indeed. Does Emily know?"

"No Grandpa, I have only told you and mom. And you only know by accident, I was hoping to keep this a secret until I planned on doing something about it." Rory said.

"Doing something about it? You are going to make the first move?" Richard said looking a little shocked.

"Yes Dad, Rory is a Maverick, she flies in the face of danger, she breaks the rules, she sets the trends…" Lorelai said with a laugh.

"I want to show him that I can have fun too." Rory said, glaring at her mom's joke. "He comes from a world that I know from you and grandma, but I don't live in. He is the rule breaker and he has pegged me as the girl who sits idle and reads."

"How is that any different from reality?" Lorelai questioned.

"Well it is not, but I don't want him to think that I can't let loose too. I proved it to him once by jumping with him at the LDB event, but he knows that it is not in my nature to act that way." Rory argued.

"Well honey, as glad as I am that you are finally meeting guys at Yale and making new friends, I was not too thrilled to learn about your little escapades with the LDB that you speak of. I also don't want you to compromise yourself just to impress a guy. I know that we have our fun every now and then, but I don't want you to go after Logan and fool him into thinking that you are something you are not. You are an amazing girl, and somehow I have a feeling that Logan knows this. You don't have to jeopardize yourself to be part of his crowd, he should want you to be part of his group because of who you are. I don't want to get all preachy here, but I do want you to understand that you don't want to betray who you are just to get the guy. I don't want you to go Grease and bust out the leather jacket and spandex jump suit." Lorelai said in one of her signature diatribes.

"Well, what if I am sick of playing the goody-two-shoes? I have always been a 'Mary.' I have always been the one who obeys all the rules and pleases others. The one time I did something out of the ordinary, I liked it. It was thrilling and it was freeing. College is the time of your life where you are supposed to experiment and test your boundaries and find yourself. Grandpa has told me stories about his college days and I know that he was not on the straight and arrow himself. I know that Logan would not make me do things that I would find morally objective, but he will also give me opportunities to do things that I have previously been unable to even try. I want him to know that I am not against breaking out of my good girl mold and that I will fit into his group of friends and participate in their escapades while still being the Rory that you know and love. I can be both the good girl Rory while still managing to get out and be young." Rory said partly to talk herself into it and partly to prove her mother wrong.

"I know that you won't be completely stupid, but I also know that you have a tendency to get yourself into trouble when it comes to matters of the heart. I don't need to remind you of these past examples Rory. I just worry about you. I don't know Logan, but from what it sounds like, he likes you, and because of that I know he can't be all bad. But please, before you go falling head over heels in love with this guy, think. He may put you in compromising situations, and are you prepared to stand up for yourself against him? Or will he be able to influence you into doing things that my daughter would have never even thought about in the past?" Lorelai practically yelled.

As Richard watched the scene unfold, he finally spoke up, "I know Logan pretty well. As rebellious as he is and as stupid as some of the mistakes were that he made, he is also a caring young man. Don't pigeonhole him as the bad guy. He is simply a man who I assume has fallen for our girl, and really, can you blame him? I think that they will do wonders for one another. He will be able to introduce Rory to a world that she has previously not explored and she will be able to help him settle down."

Rory finally interrupted, "Okay, I am done dissecting my love life, or lack there-of, with my mother and grandfather. I promise that if anything happens with Logan I will not do anything that will force you to disown me. I don't promise that I won't try new things though. I won't let him influence me to the point of making me do something against my better judgment, but I will also do things that I would have previously been shocked by. I am 20 years old; I want to start acting like it!"

"Enough said. So what is the plan to steal his heart?" Richard asked, rubbing his hands together in anticipation.

"I think she has already accomplished that feat." Lorelai said.

"Well, I think we should start by inviting him to our New Year's Eve party. In fact, he can go as your date Rory." Richard said matter-of-factly.

"Dad, don't play matchmaker here. Rory will go out with him in her own time. She does not need you forcing the two of them together. If she wants him to go as her date she can ask him and if he wants to accept then he will." Lorelai said, trying to stop Richard from manipulating her daughter once again.

"No, wait mom. I like this idea. We can continue playing off the engagement charade. He can go as my date, but it will be out of fun, as a closing poke at the joke. This way I will be able to be with him without his cronies and hopefully get him to open up to me. If he does have feelings for me we may be able to do something about them during the party. The only hesitation I have concerns Grandma and Grandpa. I don't want them forcing anything. I know you guys like to meddle, but I don't want you saying anything to him that may scare him. If he goes as my date then acknowledge it as such, a date. It is not 1950 and we don't need a chaperone." Rory stated.

"Okay fine, but then what about my plan? It involved masks, a bathtub and an elephant" Lorelai said crushed.

"Well mom, as intriguing as your idea sounds, I think I want to play it cool for now. If he does not understand me after New Years, then I do believe that desperate times call for desperate measures" Rory said, ignoring the elephant remark.

"So it is settled then. I will tell the Huntzbergers that Logan shall accompany them to the party to serve as your date for the evening. I will put the call in as soon as you leave for dinner." Richard said, trying hard to hide his excitement.

"Okay grandpa, thank you for doing this for me. As much as I want to make the first move, I think this is more subtle and it will be easier for me to go through with." Rory said, smiling for the first time that evening.

"Lorelai, were you planning on coming to the party?" Richard asked.

"Oh, well I hadn't been invited yet. But I don't know, I think Luke and I were just going to have a relaxing evening alone. I don't want to be out when the new-year strikes. Who knows what kind of crazies will be out." Lorelai said only in half seriousness.

"The only crazy out there is you. Nonsense, you will not spend the evening at home, you and Luke will come to the party as well." Richard said obviously closed to the discussion. All Lorelai could do at that point was glare at Rory silently placing the blame on her for this new predicament. Rory was completely oblivious to her mother's look, however. She was too busy thinking about how Logan will react to the news that he was practically forced into going to a party sans his posse and will be acting as Rory's date. Maybe this was not the greatest idea, Rory thought as they prepared to leave the pool house. Logan will probably want to spend the evening with his friends and not with his parents at a party hosted by her grandparents. It was obviously too late for second thoughts, as Richard was already placing the call to deliver the news.

"Is that how you wanted your first date with Logan to be like? A set up dictated by your grandfather?" Lorelai asked as they walked to the main house.

"Well, it is not ideal, but at least it will give me an opportunity. If I left it up to Logan I could be waiting a while, or forced to admit my feelings to him while dangling upside down in the midst of some LDB stunt." Rory said.

"Oh yes, and thank you very much for roping Luke and me into this! Do you think I want to spend my new-years at some posh party? I was planning pizza, pajamas and an amazing rendition of REM's 'End of the World.'" Lorelai said, once again pouting.

"Mom, you do that every night. Why not get dressed up and attend a fancy party for once?"

"For once? Because it is not like I am drug kicking and screaming to these events nearly once a month."

"Fine mom, go kicking and screaming, but please just go. I don't want my night ruined because you are not there and Grandma finds it necessary to remind me every five minutes." Rory yelled back.

"Speaking of Grandma…I think it is time to get this Friday night dinner out of the way." Lorelai finally said.

Thanks for the reviews. I am glad that those that have reviewed seem to like it. I guess I will keep it up…it is kind of fun


	4. The Huntzberger Plan

Chapter 4

The Huntzberger Plan

Logan spent the next few days thinking of little else other than Rory and how to get back onto her good side, not that he was ever really on her good side to begin with. All of the debonair plans he created did not seem to fit Rory. Admittedly, Logan knew he had an abundance of charm. Previous to now, he had never had a problem when it came to getting the girl. The majority of his female companions fought for his attention and he was left to simply choose their company. He knew that the best girls were worth fighting for, yet he had never been in a situation where fighting were required.

He knew that he had been going about getting her attention all wrong. His childish antics did nothing but annoy Rory and push her further away. Logan thought about wooing her with flowers and candy, but he knew that it would only take him so far with her. Rory was a girl unlike anyone he had ever met. The traditional forms of romance would not get him far.

Logan's goal was to suffer through finals attempting to keep Rory off his mind and then spend the winter break devising the ultimate plan to win Rory's affections. He had previously determined the best time to tell Rory how he felt about her would be at the annual LDB New Year's Eve Ball. It was one of the few events where each member was allowed to bring a date. Logan could think of no one else who he would rather spend his evening with than Rory. His plan was to casually invite her as a truce. Once she agreed to go as his date he would spend the evening acting as a gentleman, rather than trying to egg her on as he normally would with their usual banter. He desperately wanted to kiss her at midnight, and he could only hope that she would come to feel the same.

Logan sighed as he crashed to his bed after completing his last final of the term. Unfortunately both Finn and Colin had one more final the next day, so they were not in the mood for his gloating nor celebrating. After laying in his bed for a while, Logan decided that he would get out of the dorm for the evening and try to get his mind off of Rory and New Years. He had still not come up with how he was going to ask her out, and he was scared that if he waited too long she would make other plans. He knew it had to be done, but he was terrified that she would reject him. Rejection was something that Logan had never had to deal with previously. This alien feeling left him weak and nauseated.

After circling campus for the second time, he finally decided that it was time to confront Rory and ask her out. Gathering up his strength, he turned around and slowly started making his way to her room. After walking a short distance he heard his cell phone ring. Hoping it was Finn and he had changed his mind about studying, Logan answered. He was disappointed when he heard his dad on the other end.

"Logan, good, I am glad I caught you." His dad said.

"Hey dad, what can I do for you?" Logan said with a hint of sarcasm.

"I was calling to tell you about New Years. You are coming with your mother and me to the annual Gilmore party." His father said in a matter-of-fact voice.

"Umm, yeah sure dad. I will be there right after I hear Bush is out of the office." Logan said, in no mood to put up with his dad's unreasonable demands.

"I don't know what you have against Bush, and frankly I don't care to hear about it, but this is not a request Logan. Your presence was requested at the party and The Gilmore's are good friends of ours, so you are going to be there." He said in a way that appeared to end the conversation with that.

"What do you mean my presence was requested? Who would care if your screw-up son was at some posh party? Besides, I have a previously planned engagement that I must attend."

"Well then you are just going to have to cancel. Apparently Gilmore's granddaughter asked that you attend the party. Richard thought that this was a great idea, and we agreed that you two would go together."

"Rory Gilmore?" Logan asked hopefully.

He thought for a moment and said "Yes, I believe he said Rory, it is Lorelai's girl. You go to Yale with her, I believe Richard said she was also on the paper. Very impressive girl, I think you two will get along well."

"Okay dad, I will go to your party—under one condition." Logan said finally.

"I don't think you are in any position to make demands Logan." His father said.

"Well that is too bad, because the only way I will go to the party is if I will be allowed to leave at 11 to go to the LDB event." Logan said with a tone of finality.

"Fine Logan, go to the LDB event, but you will entertain Rory throughout the evening and not act like you have another place you would rather be." His father said just before he hung up.

"Fine…goodbye dad" Logan said to a dead line.

He could not believe that his father was still demanding that Logan attend these parties. If it had not been for Rory, there was no way he would have even considered attending the event, but this new development actually worked in his favor.

Logan continued walking towards Rory's room, but now with a more confident step. His trademark smile reappeared on his face as he strutted up to Rory's door and knocked forcefully.

"Huntzberger." Said the unwelcoming voice of Paris. "What are you doing here. The keg party is two doors down."

"Why hello Miss. Geller, it is lovely to see you," Logan said coolly. "I hope that finals are going well for you."

"Blah blah blah, what do you want?" Paris said rolling her eyes at him.

"Well I actually came to see your roomie, is she in?" He asked sweetly.

"GILMORE…YOU HAVE COMPANY!" Paris shouted, not even bothering going to her door or letting him in.

A minute later, a disheveled Rory emerged from her room. "This better be good, I just got done with finals and I was finally able to sleep…" Rory stopped once she saw who was standing in the door. "Logan, hi."

"Hey Ace, I had to talk to you before you went home for break. I am sorry that I woke you up." Logan said staring at Rory. She looked so cute, even after just waking up. Her hair was a mess, and she had lines of sleep on her face, yet she looked so innocent and adorable that his heart could not help but melt at the sight of her.

"It's okay Huntzberger. I just wasn't expecting anybody. I would suggest we get out of the dorm because Paris is studying, and I don't want you to face her wrath, but.." she gestured towards her pajamas "I think maybe we should stay in. You can come to my room."

Relieved that she was not too upset with him, Logan followed Rory into her bedroom. It was the first time that he had been in her room, and he was not surprised by what he saw. Her room was filled with every book imaginable. He recognized many of the titles, but there were a few that he was unfamiliar with. He picked up a much worn copy of _Slaughterhouse Five._

"This is one of my favorites," he said to no one in particular. He started thumbing through the novel looking for his favorite part when he noticed scribbling in the margins. He did not take Rory as someone who would write in their books, he figured that she valued their contents too much to deface them.

"Do you always take notes when you read?" he asked her.

"Ohh, uh, well no. I don't like to mark up my books." Rory said, trying to get out of the conversation.

Logan noticed her shift uneasily at this line of questioning. He did not want to press the issue, but he was also interested in why she had a copy of the book covered in scribbles. "So why is this one so special?" He asked her innocently.

"Well, an old friend of mine had a thing for taking notes in books. He liked to borrow mine and write down his thoughts in them as he read and then I would re-read them factoring in his own interpretations." Rory explained awkwardly.

"Wow, he seems like the perfect guy. Not only does he like reading as much as you do, but he also likes to share it with you." Logan said, feeling slightly jealous of this bond she has with another guy.

Rory stared at him for a moment, deep in thought and simply said, "yeah, well he was not really the perfect guy at all."

Logan did not want to press the issue because it was obviously making Rory uncomfortable and that was not the purpose of his visit.

"Anyway, I don't want to interrupt your sleep for much longer, so I just came here to talk to you about New Years. According to my father, my presence has been demanded at a little party hosted by your grandparents."

"Oh, well, I don't know how much it was 'demanded' but it would be nice if you wanted to go." Rory said, obviously embarrassed.

"Yes, well, my father seemed to think that I would be going as your date."

"I think my grandfather may have mentioned something about that," Rory lied, looking down at the floor.

"So you are okay with going as my date?" Logan asked a little too hopefully.

"Oh yes, well that was the plan. I think it would be okay to go with you to the party. Do you want to go as my date though? I don't want you going because your dad forced you into it." Rory stammered.

"Yeah, I am okay with it." Logan said, trying to keep his cool and not reveal exactly how okay he was with it. "There is a slight problem though."

Logan could not help but notice the slight fall her face took after his last comment.

"It is just that the LDB has a huge New Year's party every year. I have kinda already told the gang that I would be there. I talked with my father, and he has given me permission to leave a little early. I think I will be sneaking out around 11." Logan explained.

"Oh, okay. I understand. I don't want you to have to miss that." Rory said, obviously hurt.

"Ace?" Logan said, trying to get Rory to look up at him again.

"Yeah?" she responded glancing up quickly.

"Do you think you would want to come with me to the LDB party? I would really like it if you would go as my date." Logan asked, completely sincere.

"I think that it may be hard to get away from my grandparents, but I will talk to my mom and I am sure she can create some sort of distraction so I can sneak away from the party." Rory said, finally smiling again.

"Okay Ace. That sounds like a plan then. I will swing by here to pick you up at 7pm on New Years Eve. I will arrange the transportation to the LDB party, so all you have to do is be here." Logan said.

"Okay Logan. I look forward to it." Rory said. And for the first time, her tone held absolutely no traces of sarcasm.

"Well if I don't talk to you until then, have a nice Christmas Rory." Logan said.

Looking confused by his change in attitude towards her, all Rory could do was smile sweetly and mumble something to the affect of "you too."

Logan left Rory's dorm oblivious to his surroundings. He not only managed to get a date with Rory Gilmore, but he managed to get two dates with her…two in one night. He could not wait until the parties. He was never more excited to get past Christmas as he was now.

Eager to tell Colin and Finn about the new developments, Logan rushed back to the dorm to finish packing and tell his friends about what had just happened.

Thank you all so much for the reviews! I love hearing that you guys are liking this. So far I have pretty much been making this stuff up at random, but I think I have a story forming here…so I have at least a few more chapters in me.


	5. New Beginnings

Chapter 5

New Beginnings

Rory could not calm her nerves. It was 6:45 and she had been ready for hours waiting for Logan. He was due to arrive in 15 minutes, but it felt like a lifetime away. She had been excited to spend some time with her mom and Luke, but she was even more excited for tonight.

The previous week Rory and Lorelai had spent shopping in search of the perfect dress to wear on New Years. After trying on around 50 different dresses, they both decided that nothing was quite right. So Lorelai volunteered to create an original for Rory's big date.

Looking at herself in the mirror, Rory did not know why she did not ask her mom first thing to make her dress. She had to admit that the dress was perfect. He mom had chosen a deep blue that complemented her eyes and hair perfectly. The silky material made her skin shine and her eyes pop. Although the dress was sleeveless, the white shawl that her mom gave her fit with the dress perfectly. The dress was very simple, yet extremely elegant. Gazing in the mirror for the millionth time she could not help but smile. Hopefully Logan will like it too.

Sighing and glancing at the clock she noticed that it had finally switched over to 7pm. Just then she heard a knock at the door. She could not help but notice her heart flutter at the sound of the knock. As calmly as she could, Rory walked to the door and opened it with a small smile.

Standing in the open door was an amazing looking Logan. His black tuxedo fit him perfectly, and Rory could not help but think of the price it must have come with. She could not help but stare at him. Once the initial shock of his appearance wore off, she noticed that Logan seemed to have the same expression on his face that she was wearing.

He finally spoke first. "Wow Ace, you look incredible." He said softly.

"You don't look so bad yourself. You clean up well Logan." She said jokingly.

"I got these for you" he said, handing Rory what looked to be about 2 dozen roses.

"I…wow…Logan…" she did not know what to say.

"Too much?" He asked with a smile.

"Not at all, I was just not expecting it." Rory said, flushing slightly.

"Well Rory, I know how to treat my dates." Logan said with a wink.

"Ah yes, Logan the ladies man. I should have known." Rory said laughing.

Logan could not help but feel a little disappointed. Again his reputation got in the way of his genuine actions. He feared that Rory would not be able to take what he did as anything other than routine.

Rory was also a little disappointed. She had hoped that the flowers were something more significant than business as usual. She desperately wanted Logan to see her as something more than a friend, or worse, a conquest.

After Rory put the flowers in her room they left her dorm room and headed to the limo that was waiting for them outside. After they got situated, Logan opened the mini-bar and poured them each a glass of campaign. Logan held out a finger asking her to wait a min before she took her first sip.

Holding his glass up to hers, Logan looked deep into Rory's eyes and toasted. "To a new year, filled with new beginnings, new friends, and new memories."

Rory felt a chill pass through her body triggered by the intimacy of the simple toast. She clinked her glass to his and slowly took a sip of the liquid not daring to tear her eyes from his in fear of losing the moment.

Rory wished that the ride to her Grandparent's was longer. She wanted to stay with Logan in that moment forever. As the car made the sharp turn and started making its way up the crowded driveway, Rory was shaken back to reality. Unfortunately the first step was to go to the party.

As Logan got out helping Rory climb her way out of the limo, they were both accosted by a disgruntled Lorelai.

"RORY, what's taken you so long? I have had to face my parents alone for the past 10 minutes. You know I can't stand to be with them without you as a distraction!" Lorelai yelled, forgetting about the importance of the night for her daughter.

"Um yeah mom, sorry about that, I told Logan to pick me up at 7, I did not realize you wanted us to be here at 7." Rory said, her eyes darting from Logan to her mother.

"Well you are here now, but please remember that you owe me for the rest of the night. Especially because I am getting you out of here early. I have already spoken to your grandparents about it, and they are surprisingly okay with you leaving at 11." Lorelai said, still not addressing Logan.

"Are you serious? I thought they would be horrified at the thought of it." Rory said.

"I think that they like this Logan character enough to let you go off with him. I think that means that I will have to hate him." Lorelai said.

Logan felt slightly uncomfortable as the conversation drifted towards him. He cleared his throat at the last comment and managed to get both Rory's and Lorelai's attention.

"Oh how rude of me. Mom, this is Logan. Logan, this is my mother and best friend, Lorelai." Rory said, obviously not too worried about the formalities of their meeting.

"Hello Logan, I am sorry about the last comment…well no I am not really. You see, I just don't get along too well with my parents, and I tend to stay away from anything that they place their stamp of approval on. I do hope that you manage to prove them wrong, better them then me anyway." Lorelai said in all seriousness.

"It is very nice to meet you Lorelai. I can see where Rory gets her beauty and her wit." Logan said, shaking her hand.

"Oh wow, I see you got yourself a charmer." Lorelai said to Rory. The whole situation had left Rory a little flustered and embarrassed, but she was pleased to see that Logan seemed to fit in nicely with her mother and was not too shocked by her bluntness.

"Mom, where is Luke?" Rory asked, not yet seeing her mother's boyfriend.

"He is talking with the 'rents." Lorelai responded.

"YOU LEFT HIM ALONE WITH THEM?" Rory said, almost appalled.

"Yes, well I needed to find you, and now I did, so I can go rescue him now. No harm, no foul." Lorelai said, too casually.

"I hope that you are still dating by the time you get back in there. Or better yet, I hope that he is still alive." Rory said seriously.

"Who is Luke?" Logan whispered to Rory.

"That is my mom's boyfriend. He owns the diner in Stars Hallow. He is a great guy, he has practically raised me." Rory told him.

Logan realized that there was a lot about Rory that he had no clue about. His parents had told him that Lorelai was the black sheep of the Gilmore family. She was a sweet girl, but made some mistakes as a teenager. He was guessing that his date was what they were speaking of. He never heard Rory talk about her father, so he assumed that he was not in the picture, but Logan wanted to know about the details. He hoped that Rory would someday trust him enough to fill in the missing pieces.

Lorelai made her way towards her parents and Luke with Rory and Logan trailing behind her.

"It's funny how mom and dad are feuding, yet they manage to join forced for parties and to attack Luke." Lorelai said to Rory. Logan's attention could not help but be sparked with that statement.

"What does she mean 'feuding?'?" Logan whispered to Rory.

"I will tell you about it later; it is kind of a long story." She whispered back.

Lorelai was finally able to edge her way through the crowd and end up beside a very pale Luke. She tenderly grabbed his hand and accosted her parents, "What have you been saying to him? Why can't you just leave my relationships alone? I love Luke, and you can't change that by scaring him off or tormenting him."

Luke went from pale to green after hearing what Lorelai was yelling at her parents. Neither Luke nor Lorelai had said the L word up to this point, and now Lorelai admitted her feelings for him in front of her parents. He did not know what to say or how to react. This is not the way he was planning this evening on going. He wanted everything to be perfect when he finally told Lorelai that he truly loved her. He planned on telling her at midnight. He could not think of a better way to ring in the New Year.

Lorelai was obviously oblivious to what she had just said. But that did not stop Emily from jumping all over her statement.

"Love Lorelai? You love this man? This DINER owner? I had hoped so much for you. You were so smart, and you had so much going for you. Now you are stuck in a small town going no where." Emily nearly spat at her.

"MOTHER, this is your party, these are your friends, and this is your façade, DO NOT rope me into your problems by taking them out on me or my boyfriend. I came here because you made me, if you planned on treating me like a child I never would have shown up." Lorelai yelled back.

"Fine, don't stay on my part!" Emily said in a huff.

"Mom, Grandma –Stop! Rory said. This is ridiculous. How many times have you had this argument? It is always the same. Mom has done so much in her life. It may not have turned out exactly how you planned, but both she and I think it turned out better. Can't you just accept that Mom is finally happy and in love? Luke is a great man, he has been there for us on countless occasions, and he is good for her. Please just apologize and be civil for one night, I don't want to have to chaperone you two once again. I am sick of this constant bickering, you two act like children." With that Rory spun on her heel, grabbed Logan's hand and stalked off to her grandfather's study trying to hold in her tears.

Rory sagged against the door when they made it into the room. Logan did not know what to do or say, so he stood there waiting for her to make the first move.

"I am really sorry about all of this" Rory said, rubbing the tears out of her eyes. "I am so sick of my mom fighting with my Grandparents. It is always like this. We can't get through a single dinner or party without them getting into some huge argument."

Logan's heart was breaking as he watched Rory cry. He had to admit that the argument was awfully heated, but he did not know what to do or what to say. It was not his place to step in and take over. He barely knew these people. After Rory finally spoke, Logan took two huge steps towards her and wrapped his arms around her affectionately. The two of them just stood there holding one another for a few long minutes.

As Rory stood in his arms she could not help but feel protected. Logan fit perfectly with her. Her head rested on his shoulder and her arms hugged his waist tightly. She inhaled his sent; it was a mixture of soap and expensive smelling cologne. As awful as the evening was going, this all but made up for its horrific start.

The same thoughts were drifting through Logan's head. He loved the feel of Rory in his arms. Her small body clung desperately to him as he stood there embracing her. Her soft hair brushed under his chin and he picked up the smell of her strawberry shampoo.

He slowly removed one of his arms from her back and reached towards her and tilted her chin up so he was looking in his eyes. He removed his other arm and gently wiped away her remaining tears. He breathed soothing words to her as he finished extracting her tears.

"Rory, it is okay…I am here." He said looking at her.

"I am sorry Logan. I did not want tonight to be anything like this." She said.

"You wanted it to go another way? And I was enjoying this touching moment." He said as a slow grin spread across his face.

"Thank you Logan. I…just…I'm…" Rory did not know what to tell him.

"Ace, you don't have to say anything. I know that you will talk to me about this stuff when you want to, I am not worried about it. What you said in there was amazing. They are lucky to have you in their lives….I am lucky to have you in my life." He said, completely serious.

"You are?" She inquired.

"Of course Rory. Can't you tell that I am completely crazy about you?" Logan said, after mustering up all his courage.

"I didn't know Logan. I had hoped. I wanted to be with you so much. I just am no good with this kind of stuff. I am usually the last person to realize any matters of the heart. It is the one thing that I did not inherit from my mother."

"It does not matter Ace. I told you now. I tried expressing it before, but I guess that my methods were not well received. I am not very good at this either. I am not used to having to put up this much of a chase."

"Well since we are in the mood of being honest" Rory said, "I think I should probably tell you that I too am crazy about you. I don't know when things changed, but sometime in the past few weeks I realized that I was running scared because I did not want to get hurt."

"Why do you think I am going to hurt you?"

"Because I have seen the way you are. You float from woman to woman, never really committed. I don't want to give you my heart only to have to lose interest in me." Rory explained.

"I am sick of my stupid reputation. It is always coming between us. Rory, don't worry about my past. Since our first argument I have been stuck on you. It has been months and I have been unable to think of anyone but you…you do not have to worry about me moving on. If we choose to commit to each other, I will commit." Logan said.

"I…this is so….I don't know…I need to think…" Rory said looking around.

"Rory stop thinking! Listen to your heart. What do you want to do? Do you want to give me a chance or not? Logan said, getting impatient.

"Logan, I can't say yes right now…please just be patient and let me think. I promise that as soon as I figure things out you will be the first to know." Rory said, on the verge of tears once again. "I have to go find my mom now."

Rory left Logan standing alone in her grandfather's study. He sucked in his breath as he made his way back to the party. He figured now was as good of a time as any to face his parents.

Yay for things progressing between Rory and Logan! Please R&R


	6. Phase Two

Thank you all so much for your reviews. I am glad to see you enjoy this story as much as me.

Chapter 6

Stage Two

Rory ran from her grandfather's study with fresh tears gleaming in her eyes. She was so confused. She wanted to be with Logan, she new she did, but things were going so fast. She had only just come to terms with her feelings for him and the next thing she knew he was confessing himself to her and asking for commitment. She did not know if she trusted Logan yet. She did not know if she could. After Jess she had been unable to completely let herself go. She loved Jess and he bolted. She knew that her heart would not hold up to another beating like that. She needed her mom, but she did not know how she would be feeling after the fight.

She found her mom sitting quietly with Luke. They seemed to be doing okay, surprisingly.

"Mom, I am really sorry about what happened," she said, with tears still in her eyes.

As soon as Lorelai saw her she stood up and embraced her in a hug. Luke followed suit in an awkward 3-person hug. This act of affection confused Rory.

"I thought you would be mad." Rory said.

"Mad. Rory, you are my hero! You finally stood up to my parents. They never expected it. At first they just stood there completely shocked. And then after that wore off, they actually agreed with you! They apologized to us and they said that they liked Luke a lot, they just had different plans for me, but they were going to try to accept this new life I have made. It was not perfect, but it was the best they have done yet." Lorelai said. "I have said the same basic speech to them in various forms over the years, but they only understood it once it came from you." She finished.

"Wow, well I am glad that it all worked out with you guys. That is a really impressive step." Rory said.

"Thank you for standing up and saying something Rory, your mom's parents scare the crap out of me, and I did not know what to say to defend myself to them." Luke added.

"So why are you looking so glum? Everything is going fine here. Join the party. Join your handsome beau. Speaking of Logan, why did you never tell me how gorgeous he is? Now I see why you fell for him!" Lorelai said.

"Yeah, mom, about that. I need to talk to you about some things. Do you think we can go outside for a bit and talk?" Rory pleaded.

"For my favorite daughter I will do anything." Lorelai said.

Amazingly, Rory and Lorelai managed to sneak out of the house and out to the back for an impromptu discussion. Once Rory was sure they were out of any intruder's earshot, she told her mom about what had just taken place with Logan.

"So you are telling me that you both admitted that you are crazy about one another and you got scared and ran? I don't understand you Rory. You had me come up with some complex plan to win him over and then when it seems you did not have to win him at all, he was already yours, you get scared and run. Why?"

"I don't know mom! I really like him. I just don't want him to break my heart. He is not anything like Dean. He is used to girls throwing themselves at him, and he is used to getting everything he wants. I don't want him to get bored with me and leave me because he has ample opportunities everywhere he turns." Rory said, looking even more scared than ever.

"Rory, he told you he would commit. Don't you trust him enough to take his word on that? What are you so scared of? You have had your heart broken before, and yes it sucks, but you made it through it. Rory, he knows that you are special. He sees that you are not like any other girl he knows; he wants you for himself, why would he want to jeopardize that? I think you need to follow your own advice and suck it up and let go. Quit running scared Rory, you will never be happy if you don't allow yourself to give in!"

Meanwhile Logan sighed and left the study. He saw Rory tear off in search of her mother while he turned, getting ready to head outside for some air. He did not understand that girl. She just confessed she had feelings for him, and then when things were getting ready to move forward she ran scared. Why could she not follow her heart and go for it? What was in her past that was holding her back? There were so many questions dancing around in his head at the moment, and he was blindly searching for the closest exit. The moment he spotted the door he heard his name.

"Logan, we have been looking for you everywhere." He heard his mother say.

"Hello mom. Good to see you dad. I was just on my way out to get some air." Logan heard himself say as he stared at the door.

"Where is your date Logan? We really wanted to meet Rory, her grandparents have told us so much about her, and she sounds like an amazing girl." His mother continued.

"Oh, well, umm, she had to go find her mother. She should be rejoining me soon. I will bring her over as soon as I find her." He said, stepping towards the door.

"Oh okay Logan, please don't forget. We really have hopes for this one."

"Yeah mom, so do I." Logan said, staring at the floor.

Logan finally made it outside only to run into Lorelai and Rory.

He heard all of Lorelai's speech, and was ready to finally interrupt. Of course Lorelai was right. He did know how amazing Rory was. She was perfect for him. She challenged him, something he had previously never experienced, and he always loved a challenge. Logan cleared his throat loud enough to get their attention at least to signify that hey were not alone.

Rory and Lorelai looked up startled.

"Now is your chance, go get him" Lorelai whispered to her daughter.

"Hi Logan. I…umm…sorry I ran off." Rory said awkwardly.

"Hi Rory, Lorelai. Rory, there are some people inside who would love to meet you." Logan said, trying to control himself.

"Oh okay, well I should go then mom. Um, thanks for the talk." Rory said, unsure of what she wanted to do.

"Right, no problem. You have fun tonight Rory. Please call me tomorrow. And happy New Year!" Lorelai said, giving Rory a kiss on the cheek.

"Happy New Year mom."

"Okay Logan, lets go." Rory said, impulsively grabbing his hand as they headed back inside.

The delicate touch of Rory's hand in his made Logan's heart lurch. He could not handle not knowing what was to come of their relationship. From the sound of Lorelai's speech, she wanted them to be together. If only he could convince Rory of his dedication to her.

"So who are we meeting?" Rory asked, trying to ignore her confused state.

"Oh, uh, my parents wanted to meet you." Logan said, trying to make it sound casual.

"Ha, I did not know we were already meeting each other's parents. Do things always progress this fast?" She asked joking.

"With me you have to hold on." Logan said, joking back. "There they are. Are you ready?"

"As ready as I will ever be. I shall dazzle them with my wit and charm." She said, again joking.

"I have absolutely no doubt about that Rory." Logan said, this time in all seriousness.

"Mom, dad, this is Rory Gilmore. Rory, these are my parents." Logan said.

"It is very nice to meet you Rory. Your grandfather has told us a lot about you. He is very proud of you." Logan's mom said.

"Thank you Mrs. Huntzberger. I try to please him; I am glad that he approves." Rory said, not sure what to say to these compliments. She was used to being praised, but not by people she just met.

"I hear that you work at the newspaper with Logan." His father said to her. "I also work in the paper business. If you are in need of an internship in the future, please don't hesitate to look me up. I have read your articles in the Yale paper, they are very impressive. I especially enjoyed the one about the LDB. I was astonished that you found a contact to get you an insider's view." He said smiling at Logan.

"Thank you Mr. Huntzberger, that was one of my favorite pieces to write. And I will definitely contact you about an internship, I really appreciate the offer." Rory said, genuinely delighted at the opportunity.

"Well mom and dad, as much as we would love to stay here all night, Rory and I have another engagement that we must attend. That is if Rory is okay with leaving now." Logan said, looking to Rory for help.

"Oh yes, is it 11 already? Wow. Well it was really nice to meet both of you. I will definitely contact you soon Mr. Huntzberger. Thank you again and have a happy New Year." She said as they were leaving.

"I really liked that one Mitch." Logan heard her mother say to his father. Logan could not help but smile with that last comment, his parents never said anything like that regarding his dates.

"You conducted yourself marvelously Rory; I had little doubt that you wouldn't." Logan said.

"Why thank you Mr. Huntzberger, my Grandparents have trained me well." Rory responded.

"The limo is waiting for us out front. Prepare yourself Rory, the party has just begun."


	7. Something Huge

Chapter 7

There are few moments in a person's life that have the ability to change the rest of his or her future. These moments act as landmarks defining what came before and what comes after. Rory had a feeling that tonight was going to turn into one of those nights. As Rory sat in the limo silently taking in her surroundings, she felt Logan reach behind her in search of something. He finally extracted a long, delicate piece of black silk.

"I am sorry Ace, but only LDB members are allowed to know where we are going. Our dates are forced to wear these." He said pointing to the blindfold.

"I expected nothing less." Rory said with a small smile.

As Logan's hand brushed against the delicate skin of Rory's neck, she felt a chill run through her spine. Logan's hands were shaking uncontrollably as he tried to tie the fabric over her eyes. After a few long moments the blindfold was finally attached and secure. Rory could still feel where his hands had been like goose bumps had appeared only in those areas.

"Don't worry Ace, where we are going is actually really close to your grandparent's. I just hope that we get there in time." Logan said, taking the opportunity to stare intently at Rory without her knowing.

Logan could not take his eyes away from Rory. She was so beautiful. The dark blue dress that she wore made her eyes pop out, and her subdued features were shadowed in the limo's darkness, giving her a mysterious glow. He could not believe that he was sitting this close to her and yet remained under control.

Similar thoughts danced through Rory's head. She could not believe that Logan had admitted his feelings towards her, and she was still reeling from her final decision. She knew that Logan was in this for good, yet she was terrified that a new beauty may sidetrack him. Trust is something that Rory had never been great with. After Jess, Rory was forced to realize that not everyone is as committed as Dean. She knew at that moment, blinded by the silk and shivering with anticipation, that after tonight there would only be life before Logan and life with him.

Rory felt Logan shift in his seat, assuming he was looking out the window Rory asked, "Are we here?"

"Yeah, we just arrived, give me two minutes and then you can take your blindfold off." Logan replied.

Logan stepped out of the car and reached to Rory to help her out of the car. Logan felt lightening as their hands connected; he wished he would never have to let it go. As Rory got her bearings, Logan reached up to release her blindfold. He wanted to see her reaction to their dramatic surroundings.

Rory felt a sigh release from her throat as she looked around. It appeared as though they were standing in front of an old mansion, however the grounds were completely renovated apparently for the night. The lawn was home to an enormous white tent. The lights turned down to give their surroundings a romantic flair. The tent was filled with couples dressed to the nines in tuxedos and ball gowns. Rory looked closer and realized that she was missing something. She looked to Logan confused.

"Oh, I almost forgot…this is for you." He said handing her a mask. Rory took the mask in her hands and admired its intricacies. The mask covered her face from the nose up, with two holes for her to see. The mask was covered with small blue gems that matched her dress perfectly. It was a beautiful mask and she was amazed that he was able to pick it out without knowing what she would be wearing.

"I was hoping that it would match. I guess I really don't have to worry about that." Logan said looking at her dress.

Logan put on his own mask, a simple black cloth much like the blindfold that he had just taken off Rory, except this one had two holes cut out for him to see. In the mask Logan resembled Westley from The Princess Bride, but in her opinion, cuter (she could never tell that to her mother).

"So why the masks?" Rory asked, not wanting to interrupt the integrity of the event, but wanting to know what exactly she was getting herself into.

"Well, it is really quite simple. We like to keep our club a secret, but we also don't want to become completely elitist. That is why we like to invite dates to this one event of the year. However, we want to keep ourselves aloof enough so that others wont totally recognize us and reveal the members of the LDB members to everyone. So at this party we actually assume ulterior identities. We don't expect that our guests won't recognize most of us, but we do expect them to respectfully obey our wishes, and most of them say that they spent New Year's with our ulterior identities." Logan explained.

"Ahh, I see. So who do I get to be this fine evening?" Rory asked, enjoying the little game.

"Well you actually get to be Megan Hayden from London. I assume you will be able to communicate properly?" Logan asked with a smile.

"Why of course good sir. And you know that London is quite gloomy this time of year. I am quite excited to be in Connecticut for the New Year." Rory said in her best British accent. "And who may I ask you are this fine eve?"

"Why I am Lord Archer, your lovely Beau who came with you on your American excursion." Logan replied, also with a British accent.

"How lovely. So why my dear are you a Lord and I am but a Megan?" Rory asked.

"Well my fair lady, because I came up with our identities, and I found it fitting that I be a Lord because I am already Master and Commander." He said, reminding her of their second encounter.

"Well my dear beau, shall we?" Rory asked, offering her hand to him. Logan immediately grabbed her hand and led her to the tent.

Rory thought that the view from the outside was spectacular, she was not prepared for what she saw on the inside. The tent was decorated with lavish place settings of soups, salads, steaks and a variety of delicious looking disserts. Each table was adorned with an assortment of flowers and candles, setting the mood of this magical evening. Rory heard snipits of conversation as she entered the tent. People she had never met before, and those she recognized were creating elaborate identities for themselves, really getting into the spirit of the game.

Rory thought she recognized Colin in the distance, and soon thereafter the man in the white hokey mask came over. Rory could not help but giggle at the sight of him. He looked quite ridiculous with the mask, but she was excited to hear what his story was.

"Why hello there young man, I do enjoy your attire." Rory said, not knowing how to initiate a conversation with this "stranger."

Colin answered her in a heavy northern accent, like something out of the movie Fargo "Hey there girlie, my name is Ollie Anderson. You may recognize me from the Minnesota Wild hokey team." He said extending his hand to Rory.

"Oh dear sir, I do not keep up with such horrendous games, besides, I am merely on holiday with my beau from England, I am not in the states enough to entertain such frivolous past times." Rory said.

"Aye, well ma'am, it was nice meeting you. What did you say your name was?" He said to her.

"Oh I never said sir, but my name is Megan Hayden, and this is my fiancé, Lord Archer." She said, stressing the Lord.

"I have never met a Lord before, Colin said, shaking Logan's hand. You are a lucky man she is a beautiful woman. If things don't work out with you and the Lord, look me up Megan." Colin said with a smile as he left the two standing there laughing.

"This is going to be a lot of fun, thank you so much for inviting me." Rory said smiling at Logan.

"Thank you for coming Megan, I am glad that I could share this with you." Logan replied.

"Five more minutes, FIVE MINUTES." Someone yelled.

"Well my lovely fiancé, by the way, I liked that you added that part to our relationship, very ironic actually, anyway, I would you have this dance?" He asked.

"Of course good sir."

Logan led Rory out to the dance floor and the two of them swayed to a slow song. Rory lazily laid her head on his shoulder as they danced to the music. Somehow she only managed to step on Logan's foot twice during that dance, something she rarely accomplished with Dean. Rory took the opportunity of their closeness to take note of certain details of Logan previously unnoticed. Rory noticed that he had a smell unlike her other two boyfriends. Dean had the soft sent of soap and laundry detergent. It was a nice clean scent the she found comforting and warm. Jess on the other hand often smelled of hair gel and cigarette smoke washed with the fried food of the diner. This combination was reserved only for him and she found the smells alluring in a dangerous way. Logan's scent was entirely different from these once important scents. Logan smelled of expensive cologne and scotch. It was a scent that she was familiar with growing up with a grandfather who enjoyed such items. The familiarity of the smell was comforting, yet disturbing in a way.

Logan devoured the soft scent of Rory. Her hair smelled of almonds and vanilla. Her body was small and fragile in his arms, and he found her inability to dance heart warming. With the minutes until the New Year counting down, Logan was forcing himself to control his urge to kiss her until the exact minute the clock struck 12.

The chanting began ten seconds until midnight. The group of masked partygoers stopped their dancing and mingling to participate in the countdown.

"10" –Logan knew he wanted to kiss her, but was afraid of that she would push him away.

"9" –Rory hoped that he would kiss her; she knew that this was right, they were right.

"8…7…6…5" –Should he kiss her? Is it the right time?

"4...3…2" –She was going to kiss him, she knew it was time.

"1…HAPPY NEW YEAR!"

Logan stood there gazing at Rory. He did not make a move to kiss her. He wanted to grab her, but he wanted some sort of signifier that she was open to the idea.

Rory watched him look at her. His eyes flashed with confusion and want, but he made no move. Rory did the only thing that came to her. She reached up and grabbed him behind his neck, she pulled him down and she just barely kissed him on the lips. The kiss was a simple brush of their lips, but it was enough to make their knees weak and their hearts flutter. It was also enough to wake Logan up and realize that now was his time to make a move. Logan returned Rory's delicate kiss with a more passionate reply. He lifted Rory's delicate chin up so that she was looking him in the eye. Logan smiled slightly as he lowered his head to hers and kissed her with everything he had in him. As their lips met, this time there were fireworks as their passion consumed them. Rory parted her lips ever so slightly, offering an invitation to Logan. Logan did not think twice, he slipped his tongue in her mouth and began exploring her mouth. He was dizzy with want, but he managed to focus all of his passion in this one kiss. He had spent many nights with women going far beyond kissing, but never had so much passion erupted from a single kiss.

After the room settled down, Colin noticed the kiss being exchanged between Rory and Logan. He nudged Finn as son as he saw it and Finn responded with "It is about time mate." Soon the entire room noticed the heat coming from Rory and Logan, and they all stood and watched the earth-shattering kiss.

After a few minutes, Logan pulled back from Rory. He was unable to find words after such a kiss.

Rory was the first to respond. "Wow, well at least we know that works." She said, stealing a line that Jess used on her. When she first kissed Jess she thought that nothing else would compare, but kissing Logan left her stunned a million times more than Jess and Dean combined. This was a kiss to end all kisses. She was left unable to form coherent sentences.

Logan finally tore his eyes away from hers and noticed the audience they had attracted. "I think that the entire room noticed how well that worked." He told her.

Rory looked around wide-eyed. She turned a bright shade of red and did the first thing that came to mind. She gave a little wave to everyone and simply said "Happy New Year!" The room erupted in laugher and applause.

Rory knew that this kiss was the beginning of something huge.


	8. Big Dreams

This one isn't very long, but I just started school again today, so it is going to be harder for me to update. Let me know if you like the story so far and if you have any ideas as to where you want it to go from here. I pretty much don't have any other plans for the two of them, so new conflict is always interesting. Thanks guys!

Chapter 8

Big Dreams

For the first time in her life, Rory had no intention of running. She looked up at Logan and felt like she was at home. Even with the crowd cheering them on, she was just as comfortable as if they were completely alone.

"Happy New Year." She whispered to Logan.

"Happy New Year Ace." He replied with a smirk. "Do you want to go for a little walk?" He asked, wanting to get away from the others so he could talk about what had just happened.

"I would love to. All these people watching is a little creepy." She admitted.

Logan took Rory's hand and walked her out of the tent. Once they were shielded by the darkness he wrapped his arm around her. He noticed that a slight shiver ran through her body, which he confused with the cold night. Logan slipped off his jacket and draped it over Rory's delicate frame. She gratefully accepted the jacket and continued walking. They reached a small pond and found a bench on its shore and sat together.

"So that was a pretty amazing kiss…" Logan said, not knowing where to begin.

"I would have to agree. I have never had one that quite compares." She said to him.

"What do you think that means Rory? I mean, that was at a whole new level. I was not expecting such results." Logan said, blushing from the confession.

"Well Logan, I think that it means that we have something called chemistry. It is something that two people can share, and when they do it means they are attracted to one another and they want to be together." Rory said smiling.

"Well we obviously have chemistry, but what do you want to do about it?" Logan said, smiling at her little joke.

"Well we could study it in a classroom? I always liked chemistry; it was a pretty fun class." Rory said, continuing to make light of the situation. "Why, do you have different ideas?" Rory asked.

"Well, I have been thinking. I have been thinking about this a lot actually, and I think that it may be a good time to maybe start going out." Logan said awkwardly.

"Going out? I thought you were supposed to be some suave ladies man." Rory said punching him in the shoulder.

"Well, I am just not used to this. Usually girls just find me; I have not had to do a lot of work in that area." Logan said.

"I am sorry that I made you have to work Logan." Rory said, with an air of annoyance.

"No Ace, I liked it. Half the fun of us was just getting to this point. I think that it has made me want to be with you even more. If you had been like the others I would never have given you a second thought. But that is what I lov…like so much about you. You are so much different from anybody I have ever met, and you challenge me, you make me want to be with you, you don't just make it convenient." He said, obviously searching for his words.

"Well Logan, I have to admit, I have thought of little else tonight. After you confessed your feelings for me, I was scared. I know that I told you I liked you, but I did not want you to know at what depths. I have been hurt in the past, and I don't want to be put in a situation where I am left vulnerable again. I also don't want you to walk on glass thinking that every wrong move will devastate me. I am a tough girl; I am just not used to putting my heart on the line." Rory said.

"Rory, please trust me when I say this; if you give me your heart I will do my very best to protect it. I have spent the past four months trying to convince myself I did not have feelings for you. I think that was the hardest work, being with you is natural, and it is what I want more than anything. I promise you that if you trust me enough to be with me I will give you my all."

"So you think that you and me? We can be? We should start?" Rory said confused.

"Rory Gilmore, as corny as it may sound, I want to be your boyfriend." Logan said bright red with embarrassment with his honesty.

"Does that mean that I have to quit seeing the other guys?" Rory asked.

Shocked, Logan said, "Well, yeah. I kinda hoped we would be umm, exclusive."

"I am kidding Logan! And yes, I accept your offer. I will be your girlfriend. So are you going to pin me or something?" She asked.

"Pin you? Well…umm...." Logan looked around for something he could use to "pin" Rory with. He settled on his cufflinks. "Rory Gilmore, would you wear my pin?" He asked, holding up his platinum cufflink engraved with his initials.

"I will definitely wear your pin," Rory said, attaching the cufflink to her dress.

"I have never pinned a girl before." Logan said.

"I have never been pinned. I like it though. It makes things more real. It is a little 1950ish, but in a cute way." Rory said, smiling at the cufflink on her dress. "So what are you going to tell Ollie and the rest of the gang?" Rory asked.

"Well, I think that they have seen this coming for a while now, nobody will be surprised." Logan said.

"I am sure there are going to be quite a few broken hearted girls left pinning for you." Rory told Logan, afraid that he may miss his days of being a playboy.

"Well Rory, the only heart I care about is yours, so let them be broken, for the first time in my life, mine is finally happy." Logan said, leaning down and kissing her softly.

The two sat on the bench like this for hours. Rory only finally noticed the time when she started to feel sleepy and noticed the tent had been abandoned. "What time is it?" She asked Logan.

He looked down at his watch and saw that it was 4am. "Oh wow, it is really late." He said to her.

"Where did everyone go?" Rory asked, not seeing anybody around.

"Most people went home long ago, otherwise the rest of us are staying in the house." Logan said.

"Oh wow, we can stay in there?" Rory asked, surprised.

"Of course. Shall we head over there? I think they saved a room for me, I hope they did." Logan said, forgetting about the sleeping arrangement. He had not planned on the evening go so well. In fact, he assumed he would be returning Rory to the dorms around 1am, and then heading off to his own room from there. He did not count on needing a room in the house, or two for that matter.

Logan led Rory into the main hall and noticed couples sleeping on all of the furniture. Everywhere he turned he saw taffeta and tuxedos. It was not looking good for getting a room. They walked further into the house and made their way into the kitchen. They found a very awake looking Finn seated on one of the bar stools drinking some kind of blended alcoholic beverage.

"It is about time you two love birds showed up." He said looking at the couple. "I have been guarding your room for the past two hours." He said handing Logan a key.

"I did not know I had a room." Logan said to him.

"Well, I figured that you two may want some time alone, so I did the honors of saving the master suite for you." He said winking at Logan.

"Thanks Finn, but I really don't think that is entirely necessary." Logan said, looking towards Rory apologetically.

"Well fine, at least just use the room. I lost my date somewhere in the mess of bodies, so one of us needs to at least get some sleep." He said patting Logan on the shoulder as he left the room.

"Well, at least we have a room." Logan said uncomfortably.

"Let's go check it out. I won't bite Logan." Rory said, looking at his red face.

"I know that Rory, I just did not know how you would take Finn's innuendo." Logan replied.

"I would take it the same way I always do, as nothing more than a joke." Rory said, making her way out of the kitchen.

"Right, well then, the master suite is up this way." Logan said leading Rory up the stairs.

They passed door upon closed door while making their way towards their room. Logan knocked just to make sure the room was unoccupied. Once he was convinced it was empty he turned the key and opened the door revealing one of the largest bedrooms Rory had ever seen. The king size bed came equipped with a mahogany canopy poles and velvet drapes. The room was decorated in a simple floral motif, a little too old for Rory's taste, but elegant none-the-less. She would have loved to further explore its contents, but she was overcome with tiredness and wanted nothing more than to fall asleep in the welcoming bed.

Logan turned to her "Well, I will be the gentleman and give you the bed; I can sleep on the floor. This carpet actually looks pretty comfy." He said as he toed the plush carpeting.

"Oh grow up Logan, it is a king size bed, we can share it. That is as long as you promise not to try to seduce me." Rory said, raising an eyebrow at him.

"Ha, I was just about to say the same thing to you. If I do remember correctly, it was you who kissed me first." He said, pointing out their earlier seduction.

"Well Logan, lucky for you, I am far too tired to even attempt to seduce you. So fret not, I will stay on my side of the bed and you on yours. If you try any funny business please remember that I took a self defense class with my mother." Rory said.

"I would never want to jeopardize your honor Rory. I shall refrain from any 'funny business'" he said laughing.

"I should probably wash my face, but really the thought of doing all that work makes me cringe, so I think I am just going to go to sleep." She said with a yawn. "I don't have any pajamas either, I am wearing a slip, and maybe I will just sleep in that." Now Rory was just babbling out loud as she was unzipping her dress.

Logan did not want to watch, but he could not tear his eyes away from Rory as she stepped out of her dress. Her beautiful skin was glowing under the soft lights of the bedroom, and her tiredness made her all the cuter to Logan.

After Rory crawled into the huge bed, Logan quickly took off his tux, stripping to his boxers getting ready to sleep. He asked Rory if she wanted him to shut the drapes around the bed so they will be able to sleep later. Rory opened her eyes and was unable to look up from his naked chest; she mumbled something that Logan took to be "That is a good idea." After Logan shut the curtains and climbed into bed they were both out as soon as his head hit the pillow.

The final thoughts that danced through Logan's head were heavenly as he looked at Rory's face as she slept. He knew that this was going to be the start of something huge.


	9. The Next Step

Chapter 9

The Next Step

Rory shifted in her sleep, stretching her arms out with a yawn her hand came in contact with the flesh of a visitor. Startled, she looked over to find a sleeping Logan. The events of the night came rushing back to her as she stayed in the semi-conscious state. She turned to her side to further inspect Logan's sleeping face. His cute features that Rory had fallen for turned even further angelic in the darkened canopy bed. His soft blond hair was a mess on his head and his face was lined from the pillow.

Rory had lost all sense of time during the night. She knew that they had gone to bed somewhere around 4am, but she was unsure of what time it was now. The bed created a cocoon for her and Logan and the velvet curtains had worked to shield all the morning's light.

Rory noticed Logan shift in his sleep and she silently hoped that he would awaken soon. As he turned to his back Logan opened his eyes, and waited for them to adjust to his surroundings. For a split second he had forgotten what had landed him in this bed. After everything came flooding back to him, he quickly turned to his right hoping that Rory was still in bed with him. As he turned back to her he noticed that she was staring intently at him. He smiled genuinely at her.

"Good morning. How long have you been up?" He asked.

"Oh not long at all, and I highly doubt it is morning any longer." Rory replied.

"What time is it?" He asked, not knowing how long he had managed to sleep.

"I am not sure, I don't have my watch." Rory said.

Logan opened the velvet curtain and stepped out onto the plush carpet. Rory watched him as he secured the drapes back to the bed posts and allowed the sun to steam onto Rory. She squinted as her eyes followed him around the room. Logan slowly picked up his pants and stepped back into them and when he reached for his shirt he heard a small groan come from Rory.

"What?" He asked her curious as to what she was upset about.

"I was thoroughly enjoying you walking around shirtless." She said smiling.

"Ahh, I see," Logan said as he dropped the shirt on the floor and flexed slightly as he reached for his watch on the nightstand. Rory noticed how he flexed for her after she showed him her approval of his chest, and she had to admit, she was very turned on by his body. His stomach was toned nearly to the point of a 6-pack. Just toned enough, Rory thought as she inspected his stomach. She hated the guys who had such defined stomach muscles that they felt the need to show them off whenever possible. Logan, on the other hand, was well toned, but not to the extreme. His arms were the same, perfect. It was obvious that Logan spent time at the gym, but it was also apparent that lifting weights was not his only hobby. She enjoyed his figure, and she was disappointed that she had not taken the time to inspect it earlier.

"Wow, it is already 1:00" Logan said as he looked at his watch. "What are you plans for the day Rory? I thought we may want to go grab something to eat and hang out." Logan said to her, hoping that she would want to spend the day with him.

"That sounds great Logan. I actually know of just the place we can go to eat. Do you mind if we stop by the dorms first so I can change and grab some coffee on the way?" Rory asked, knowing that her pleasant mood would soon turn sour without the addition of coffee.

"Why, you don't want to go to lunch in a ball gown?" Logan asked kidding.

"Well, the place I have in mind is not really the best for this sort of attire." Rory said glancing at her dress that was left in a crumpled heap on the floor.

"Okay, well get dressed, I will drive us to the dorms and then we can do whatever your heart desires." Logan said as he finally put his shirt on.

"Hey Huntzberger, how are we getting out of here? We arrived by limo if I do remember correctly." Rory asked.

"Oh, I drove my car out here earlier yesterday. That way if you wanted to go home last night I could have taken you and we would not have had to worry about getting a car here." Logan answered.

"I take it you did not plan on the evening going quite as it did?"

"Honestly I did not know if you would want to stay the night here. I thought that you would want to get back to your bed, and really I would not blame you. But when we spent four hours just talking on the bench I figured you were probably exhausted and not in the mood to drive back. At least I wasn't." Logan explained.

"I had a really good time last night Logan. I don't know if I ever said anything, but thank you. I am glad you shared this with me." Rory said.

"Thank you for joining me." Logan said. "Now get dressed, I am getting hungry."

Rory also realized that she was starving. She did not know how she would be able to make it all the way to Stars Hallow to eat. Rory reluctantly climbed out of bed, washed her face and put her dress back on. Logan then led the way back down to the main floor of the house. It appeared as though everyone else had left ages ago. There was no sign of anyone left. Logan put the key to the suite back into its hiding place behind the refrigerator, and then led Rory out back to where his car was parked in the massive garage.

"How does the LDB have access to such a house?" Rory asked.

"It has always been used; I don't really know when the group acquired it. It is just one of those things that we are privileged enough to get to use on occasion." Logan said as he opened up the huge doors to the garage.

The garage was huge. It was nearly twice the size of house Rory had grown up in. Inside the garage was filled with a few cars, mostly early models that Rory did not recognize. Parked in the midst of all the old cars there was one sparkling new vehicle. Rory assumed that it was Logan's.

Rory never claimed to be a car aficionado, but she knew that this car had cost a lot of money. First of all, she recognized the logo, the design that was inspired by the company's first love, airplanes. The BMW logo was used on its airplane engines, it looked like a spinning propeller. Rory knew some about the history of the car because her Grandfather was into luxury automobiles and he had taught her the little that she knew. Logan opened the door of the silver convertible and waved Rory in. She sank into the buttery softness of the leather interior and inhaled the car's sent.

"…a birthday gift." Rory heard Logan saying.

"What?" She said, only hearing half of his statement.

"Oh, the car, it was a gift for my 21st birthday." Logan said.

"It is a nice car," Rory remarked. She always wanted a convertible, and after graduation she was happy to be getting a car at all, but compared to her classmate's vehicles, hers was extremely modest in comparison. She could still remember the day of graduation when her grandfather took her out to the parking lot at Chilton where her car was parked next to a red Ferrari and other cars like Logan's. She was in no way disappointed, she liked her car, it was reliable, and she just wanted one that was a little sportier.

Logan started up the car's engine and they exited the grounds of the mansion.

"So I don't need a blindfold anymore?" Rory asked, as she admired their beautiful surroundings.

"Nah, I trust you. You are in fact my girlfriend, and trust is the basic element of any lasting relationship." Logan replied.

When Logan called her his girlfriend, Rory's heart did a strange flip and she felt her stomach fill up with butterflies. She knew that she was going to enjoy their new title.

"Was that strange?" Logan asked her.

"What strange?" Rory asked, oblivious to his comment.

"That I called you my girlfriend?" He said, not know how comfortable she would be with the label so early on.

"Not at all," Rory said, "in fact, I really liked it." She responded with a huge grin.

"Good, I liked it too." Logan said, returning her smile.

After a 15-minute drive they reached campus where Logan dropped Rory off at the deserted dorms.

"I will just be a few minutes." Rory said. "I just want to change and pack a few things in case I stay over. Can you pick me up in 20 minutes?" She asked Logan as she stepped out of his car.

"Yeah, that sounds about perfect," Logan replied as he started on his way to his own dorm.

Rory rushed into her dorm and started searching through her closet for something perfect to wear. She wanted to look good for Logan, but she did not want to appear to be trying to hard. She tore through her drawers looking for the perfect outfit for their day together. Rory finally decided on a pair of jeans and a red sweater. The red made her eyes stand out and her face appear brighter, so she knew that it would be a good choice. She quickly ran to the bathroom and applied some makeup and returned to her room to finish packing for home. She was glad that school would not start for another week and Paris was still away on some ski trip so she would not ask her questions about Logan.

Meanwhile, Logan was rushing around his dorm in a similar fashion. He too was unsure of what to wear around Rory. He wanted to look casual in her town, because from the sound of it, they were not used to his type. He sorted through his stacks of sweaters and button up shirts and finally settled on his plain navy blue sweater, a pair of jeans that he rarely wore, and a pair of brown Doc Martins. He was used to dressing in slacks and dress shoes, so the jeans and boots felt awkward to him, but he figured that he would rather fit in with her friends instead of looking too prim.

Logan looked at his watch and was shocked to see that it had taken him 15 minutes just to decide on what to wear. He was turning into a girl, he thought to himself, as he ran his hand through his hair and tried to make it look somewhat decent aside from the lack of showering.

Logan rushed out of the door to his car and drove back over to Rory's dorm. As he pulled up, Rory stepped out of the door with her overnight bag slung over her shoulder. In the time it had taken him to pick out what to wear, she had somehow managed to change, do her makeup and pack. Logan laughed to himself as he saw this, he knew he was probably too worried about his clothes.

"What is so funny?" Rory asked as she opened the door.

"Oh, nothing." Logan said as he started to pull away from the curb.

"Well you are going to have to tell me, you can't just laugh at me and then not tell me what I did. That is cruel and inhumane." Rory said with a pout.

"Fine, fine," Logan said. His face turned red as he started explaining himself. "I, erm, was laughing because…well, you somehow managed to change, put makeup on, and pack, and it took me the same amount of time to just pick out what to wear." He said.

Rory could not help but giggle when he told her this. "Why were you so concerned with the way you look? I have never seen you looking anything but nice."

"I just wanted to fit in at your town. I did not want people to look at me funny, or pigeonhole me as the 'bratty Yale kid.'" Logan explained.

"I think they will do that no matter what you look like," Rory joked with him. "Wow, are you wearing jeans?" She asked.

"Yeah, I actually own a pair of them." He said with a smirk. "Okay, well they are actually Gucci, but who needs to know."

"I did not know that Gucci even made jeans." Rory said laughing.

"Yeah, well lucky for me, my mom makes me go to a personal shopper at Nordstrom's and they pick out all of my clothes, I just try the stuff on and it goes on the 'rents account." He explained.

"Nice, you have a personal account at Nordstrom's. I am jealous. I would think that the personal shopper would take out all of the fun of shopping though." Rory said thoughtfully.

"Well, I like it best this way, I hate to shop. And if I did do my own shopping I am sure I would end up not matching and wearing clothes that did not fit right." Logan said laughing.

Rory had always been impressed with his sense of style, then it dawned on her that it was not his own fashion sense, it was a hired shopper. She found it hilarious that he could not pick out his own clothes, but she had to admit that the person who did was very talented. His clothes always looked amazing on him.

"Well, I have been doing my own shopping for years." Rory said laughing at him.

"Anyway, how exactly do I go about getting to Stars Hallow?" Logan asked, not having a clue as to where he was going.

Rory explained how they would get to Stars Hallow and then the conversation drifted to a variety of other topics. In the half an hour trip they discussed music, literature, film and the paper. She loved that she finally had someone to talk to who understood her so well. Dean had tried to be interested in her passions, but they were two totally different people. Jess had also shared her passions, but he lacked in his emotional development. Dean and Jess were different in every aspect in this respect. Jess had been a rotten boyfriend, but an amazingly intelligent friend who she loved to debate with. Dean, on the other hand, was the perfect boyfriend, yet he lacked in similar goals as Rory.

That was one of the things that she was so scared about when she met Logan. From the beginning she realized his similarity between her two ex-boyfriends. He appeared to be a combination of Dean and Jess. He was intelligent, funny, and sarcastic and daring like Jess was, and he was also sensitive and genuine like Dean had been. Rory knew that the likelihood that she would fall hard for Logan was omnipresent, and she was afraid that he would thus have the ability to hurt her more than the other two combined.

Logan spotted the sign welcoming the two into Stars Hallow. He had only been in the small town once when he dropped off Rory after Dean broke up with her earlier that semester. At that time, however, he was a little drunk and it was too dark to really have a good look at the town. Logan was amazed at the sight of Stars Hallow. It looked like something that came out of the early settlement of America, complete with a Soda Shoppe. He could not believe that places like these still existed. The town had a very close-knit feeling to it, that he liked.

Rory took a deep breath, "Okay, to Luke's!" She said, with a slight note of apprehension. She had not spoken to her mother since the night before after the fight with her grandparents. She was not sure if everything was okay between them, or if some other fight had broken out between her mother and her grandma.

Logan stopped the car in front of Luke's diner and noticed that both Luke and Lorelai were inside.

"Did you tell your mom to meet us here?" He asked Rory.

"No, this is her second home." Rory said laughing. "I think she spends more time here than at our house."

"Oh because she is dating Luke." Logan said, answering his own question.

"Well, yes and no. She spent nearly the same amount of time here prior to her dating Luke, we just really like his food. Plus, my mom does not cook. We eat here everyday." Rory said.

"EVERY DAY?" Logan asked in disbelief.

"Yea. When I lived at home we would usually stop in for coffee and a donut before I caught the bus to school, then if we did not eat at Al's Pancake World for dinner, we would usually be back at Luke's or order pizza." Rory said, as if it were completely normal.

"Don't you mean you would go to Al's Pancake World for breakfast, not dinner?" Logan asked confused.

"Oh no, Al does not serve pancakes." Rory said, as if it were obvious.

"Then what does he serve?" Logan asked, completely confused at this point.

"It is different every month. I think right now it is Indian. He likes to try out different types of food from around the world." Rory answered.

"Why didn't he change the name to something like 'International Banquet' or something more fitting?" Logan asked, still flabbergasted by the oddity of the situation.

"Because he had just printed a bunch of napkins up with his original name when he decided to get out of the Pancake business." Rory said.

"Oh" was all Logan said, as if it made actual sense. "Well, since you seem to eat here all the time, I look forward to it."

"Trust me, you won't be disappointed. And wait until you have his coffee!" She said, as her eyes appeared to glaze over with lust for the beverage.

Inside the diner, Lorelai was chatting with Luke when she noticed him staring intently out the window.

"Did Madonna just walk by?" Lorelai asked.

"What?" Luke said, confused.

"Well you are staring out the window like some celebrity just walked by. I don't know why Madonna would be in Stars Hallow, but I guess she is going through that whole crazy 'Ruth' stage, she could want to settle into small town life." Lorelai said blabbing. She decided to see what Luke was staring at, and turned in her bar stool and looked out the window. Her eyes settled on Rory and Logan exiting his BMW. She rubbed her eyes in mock shock at the sight of his car.

"I don't like that guy." Luke said.

"When have you ever liked any of her boyfriends?" Lorelai responded.

"Well I liked Jess." Luke said.

"Only because he was family. Besides, you did not even like the two of them together. If I do remember correctly you told him to stay away from Rory." Lorelai responded in a matter of fact tone.

"Okay, fine, but I don't like this one either." He said.

"Why not? He is an intelligent, nice boy. And besides, he seems to really like Rory and she likes him too." Lorelai said.

"He is too rich. I don't like his car. He is stuck up." Luke said, behaving like a five year old.

"I like his car, I think it is beautiful. And will you grow up please? Rory is not five anymore, she can take care of herself. Besides, I like him." Lorelai finished.

"Fine. I guess I can give him a shot. At least he is not Dean. I never liked Dean."

"Yes, and you never made that apparent." Lorelai said.

With that said, Rory walked into the diner holding hands with a very intimidated looking Logan.

"Hello sunshine!" Lorelai said, "I see things went well last night." She said smiling at the fact that she and Logan were holding hands.

Rory blushed slightly as she glared at her mom's comment. "Things went very well. Sorry I did not call, I thought that coming by in person would be better anyway." Rory said.

"No problemo my favorite offspring. You got here just in time, I was about to order. Are you two joining me?" She asked hopefully.

"Of course Ms. Gilmore, Ace has told me how great Luke's food is, and I have to try it." Logan said.

"Ace?" Luke said, not responding to the compliment.

"Oh, yeah it is a nickname I gave her a while back, for being an Ace reporter." Logan explained.

"Yes, and an Ace reporter she is! And if you value your life Logan, never call me Ms. Gilmore. It is Lorelai, and don't you forget that." Lorelai said.

"Well, I learned from the best." Rory said.

"Well growing up with my parents, you have to learn how to be a detective." Lorelai said. "So Logan, we did not get much of a chance to talk last night." Lorelai said, shifting her gaze directly at Logan. "Luke and I were wondering, what exactly your intentions are with my daughter."

Logan turned bright red and looked towards the ground. "Well, I can assure you both that my intentions are honorable." He said as he toed the ground with his Doc. "I…uh…like her a lot, and…" Logan stumbled, not knowing what to say.

"Ha, Logan, calm down, we are all adults here. And besides, I was totally kidding. As long as you don't damage her I will be okay with you seeing my daughter." Lorelai said with a smile.

Logan looked up and smiled at Lorelai, "Oh wow, I am glad. I was getting worried that you were going to sit me down and set out the guidelines."

"Well now that you mention it…" Lorelai started.

"MOM, stop it. You have tried the intimidation technique before, and it did not work." Rory said referring to the "talks" she had held with Dean and Jess.

"You don't have to worry about intimidating me." Logan said. "You already scare the hell out of me." He said to Lorelai.

Luke could not help but laugh at the last comment. "Smart man" he said, slapping Luke on the shoulder.

"So what can I get for you two?" Luke asked Rory and Logan. "The Usual Rory?"

"Yes please Luke." Rory replied.

"What about you Logan?" Luke asked gruffly.

"I will get whatever Rory wants." Logan replied.

"You don't even know what that is. You probably won't like it." Luke said in a tone that he had previously reserved for Dean.

"I will eat anything. Besides, if it is Rory's 'usual' I am sure I will love it." He said with a smile.

"Aw how sweet." Luke said sarcastically as he walked back to place the order.

"I don't think he likes me." Logan said.

"Don't worry about it," Rory said, giving his hand a small squeeze. "It usually takes him a while to warm up to people."

"That and he seems to think that nobody is good enough for Rory." Lorelai finished.

"Well, I will try my hardest to prove myself to him." Logan said.

"Good luck my friend. Dean dated Rory for years, and never managed to get on his good side." Lorelai commented.

"Give me time, Lorelai."

The three then proceeded to eat their burgers and chat nonchalantly. Logan could not help thinking that he hoped he was in fact good enough for Rory. He wanted to prove Luke wrong and stick by Rory. He wanted to be the man that he knew she wanted and more importantly, deserved.

Thanks again for all the reviews, you guys rock! Feel free to give me more tips as to where you would like to see the story go. I am flying by the seat of my pants at this point.


	10. The Escape

Chapter 10

The Escape

Logan knew that it would take more than a little sucking up to win over Luke. From what he assumed, Luke had been the father figure for Rory. He wanted to impress Luke, but he knew that it would take a lot of time and he hoped that Rory would give him that. This was not the only issue that was tormenting Logan, however. He wanted to make sure that Rory knew who the real Logan was, not the one who's reputation precedes him. He wanted to get Rory alone for a while so they could begin to understand each other outside of personalities that their friends and family pegged them as. Logan knew that away from Finn and Colin he was an entirely different person, and he could only assume that Rory's mother had a similar impact on her behavior. School was to start in a mere two weeks, and Logan felt that it would be a perfect time to get away with Rory for a while and spend some time with one another before the hectic demands of Yale began affecting their relationship.

After Rory and Logan finished eating with Lorelai, Logan asked if Rory would do him the honors of giving him a tour of the town. He wanted to get to know the place where she grew up and hear her memories of the town. Rory was happy to take Logan around town, and she was ecstatic that he was interested.

"You two have fun," Lorelai said. "I don't expect it will take too long to get the complete tour, so do you want to meet back at home around 7ish for pizza and a movie marathon?"

"I don't know if Logan is ready for a movie night with the Gilmore's." Luke said smiling.

"I am sure I can handle it." Logan responded.

"Well, we have only been official for a day now, it may be a little early to introduce him to that side of me." Rory said laughing.

"That side of you? Now I have to go!" Logan said.

"Luke will you be joining us?" Rory asked.

"Oh, um, yeah. As long as we are not watching Pippi Longstockings again." Luke said.

"I am not even going to comment on that last statement." Lorelai said. "Anyway, Rory why don't you stop by the movie store and pick up a few flicks and go to Dosse's and get the usual."

"Sounds good. See you guys at 7." Rory said, getting up.

Logan said his goodbyes and left Luke's with Rory.

"So I don't think Luke likes me too much." Logan said to Rory.

"I am so sorry about that. He is really protective, but just be yourself and I know you will win him over." Rory said giving him a small hug.

"I hope you are right…for my own health." Logan said laughing. "Anyway, where to first my lovely tour guide?"

"I was thinking we could go to some of my favorite places around town and we could go visit my friend Lane and then depending on the time, grab some coffee before heading home for movie night." Rory said.

"That sounds great. I am really looking forward to seeing the place you grew up." Logan said seriously.

"I am glad that you want to learn about it." Rory said. "But…there are a few things that I should warn you about."

"Warn me about? Should I be worried?" Logan said with a nervous smile.

"Not really, it is just that most of the people I grew up with are a little…quirky." Rory started. "I would advise you to stay away from Miss Patty, Babette, and Kirk, just to name a few."

"I do hope you will give me fair warning when you see any of the aforementioned approaching?" Logan asked.

"Oh yes, don't worry, I will try to save you if I see them coming." Rory said smiling. "Never mind, too late."

"Oh hello there dear." Rory heard Miss Patty yell to Rory.

Instinctively Rory grabbed Logan's hand and smiled at her. "Hi Miss Patty!" Rory yelled back.

Miss Patty slowly made her way over towards Rory and Logan. Rory could see her looking Logan up and down with a small smile on her face. "Who is your handsome friend?" She asked as she came nearer.

"Miss Patty, this is my boyfriend Logan." Rory answered, not wanting to have this conversation with the biggest town gossip. She knew that it would only take a matter of minutes for the entire town to hear about Logan, and she was afraid that the news would spread to Dean.

"Why hello there Logan." Miss Patty said seductively. "The Gilmore Girls have always had such wonderful taste in men."

"Nice to meet you Miss Patty. Rory was actually just talking about you. It is nice to put a face to the name." Logan said as he gave her a quick kiss on her hand.

"Oh I hope that she was telling you nothing but positive news." Miss Patty said.

"Of course. She was telling me how much of a role you played in her life growing up." Logan said, easily covering for what Rory had said to him earlier.

"Well everyone in this town has loved Rory from the beginning. She is such a sweetheart. I hope that you take care of her, if not, the entire town will know about it." She said with a laugh.

"You have nothing to worry about Miss Patty. I know that she is an amazing girl, I can't believe how lucky I am to be with her." He said, hugging Rory's shoulders.

"Well Miss Patty, we should get going, I promised I would give Logan a tour of the town before we go home for movie night." Rory said.

"You two love birds have fun now." Miss Patty said, giving Logan one final smoothing glance.

As she walked away, Rory looked back towards Logan. She smiled at the way he was able to handle the situation. "Sorry about that. I promised I would give you fair warning, she just sprung up on me."

"I don't think Miss Patty does a lot of springing up anywhere." Logan said laughing. "Does she flirt with all of your boyfriends like that?"

"Does _she_ flirt?" Rory questioned. "You were the one kissing her hand! I thought I would have to dump you right then and there." Rory said laughing.

"I was only playing along with her. I did not think she was seriously hitting on me! I thought it was all a game. So you are telling me that it was not?" Logan asked.

"Oh no, she flirts with all the guys we bring around. She is a very interesting woman. In her day she was in practically every Broadway play. She loves to talk about it, so if you are interested we can go to her dance studio and she can tell us stories." Rory said smiling.

"As intriguing as that sounds, I think I would rather save that for another time." Logan said laughing.

"Okay, I will keep that in mind." Rory said. Her heart flipped as he talked about future visits to her hometown. She could not believe that Logan was telling Miss Patty of all people how much he cared about her. Logan was definitely proving all of Rory's worries wrong. She could only hope that their relationship would continue on this path, because Rory was definitely beginning to enjoy what they shared.

"I was thinking that we could go to the local bookstore. I am waiting for some out of print books to come in that I ordered the last time I was home." Rory said, hoping he would not mind running an errand with her.

"That sounds like a plan to me." Logan said.

The two of them made the quick journey to the book shop and entered the cramped store in a matter of minutes. Rory approached the counter and asked Andrew what the word was on her books.

"Sorry Rory, I was only able to get two of the books you wanted. I don't think the other ones will be possible to get here for you." He told her.

"Oh, well thanks anyway Andrew." Rory said, obviously disappointed.

She paid for the two books and then went to find Logan. He had disappeared somewhere in the cramped store. She found him looking in the classics section. "Please tell me it is not Hemmingway." Rory said.

"Hell no, Hemmingway is entirely overrated." Luke responded.

"Louis, I think this is the start of a beautiful friendship" Rory said laughing.

"I was hoping for an affair to remember." Logan responded. "So I take it you are not a Hemmingway fan either?"

"I could not agree more with your review of his work." Rory said with a smile. "Anyway, are you ready to continue our tour? It is already 5, we don't have much time."

"Lead the way my dear." Logan said grabbing Rory's hand.

"I talked to Lane earlier, and her band is practicing today, so I thought we may want to check them out and then you can meet her." Rory said.

"That sounds like it would be fun." Logan said, looking forward to meeting this Lane he has heard so much about.

"Right, well let's head over there, and then we can grab some ice cream from the Soda Shoppe and then get our sustenance for the movie marathon." Rory said sounding excited.

Rory and Logan entered the garage interrupting yet another band feud.

"There is no way I am going to play that song!" Zach yelled at Brian.

"Yeah man, playing Chicago would be like totally selling out." Gil agreed.

"But guys, it is a paying gig; we need all the cash we can get." Brian retorted.

"And if you don't remember, we have been short of cash for the past few weeks." Lane reminded them.

As entertaining the argument they were having was, Rory could not help but laugh and thus distract them.

"Rory! Hey, I did not see you come in." Lane said, laying down her drum sticks and walking up to her.

"Hey Lane. So what are you guys fighting about now?" Rory asked.

"Zach and Gil agree that if we take the gig at a class reunion and play Chicago we would be selling out." Lane tried to explain.

"Why do you have to play Chicago anyway?" Rory asked.

"Because 'You're My Inspiration' was the theme of the class of '85's prom. They want to make sure we play that lame song at their reunion." Zach said.

"You guys are looking at this all wrong." Rory tried to explain. "Remember the time you had to play 'Believe It Or Not' For Jackson's Inauguration? You guys rocked. So why can't you take this Chicago song and liven it up. Do to it what Hendrix did to the National Anthem."

"DUDE, did I not say that exact same thing before we played that?" Gil yelled.

"Yeah, you totally did." Zach grinned. "Wow Rory, you are a totally cool groupie."

"Well thank you. So are you going to punk up the song?" Rory asked.

"Hell yeah! We are going to show Chicago how Stars Hallow ROCKS!" Brian yelled.

"Umm, yeah. Anyway Rory, who is your friend?" Lane said looking towards Logan.

"Remember me telling you about Logan?" Rory asked.

"I thought you hated him and he was the bane of your existence?" Lane questioned.

"The bane of your existence hu?" Logan asked in mock hurt.

"Well, you were quite the irritant." Rory said to him. "Anyway Lane, things have sort of changed between us."

"Explain Gilmore." Lane said looking from Rory to Logan.

"Well, we are sort of dating." Rory concluded.

"'Sort of dating?' Gee Ace, when I tell my friends that we are going out I hope I make it sound better than that." Logan said laughing at her.

"So you guys are together? Like boyfriend-girlfriend together?" Lane asked.

"Yes, since yesterday." Rory said, she could not help but break out in a grin.

"Oh that is so cute! I am so happy for you. I am glad you are finally with someone new, I was really getting sick of all the Stars Hallow drama." Lane exclaimed. "Oh by the way, I am Lane, Rory's best friend." Lane said, sticking out her hand for Logan to shake.

"It is very nice to finally meet you Lane. Rory tells me a lot about you and your extraordinary music tastes." Logan said.

"Well music has been my only escape from the Kim household since the age of four, so I have had a while to develop my taste." Lane said grinning.

"Are you guys going to stay for rehearsal? I think we are going to play the Chicago tune a few times and then call it a night." Lane said.

"I definitely want to hear this." Logan said laughing.

"Cool, pull up a carton and have a seat." Lane said pointing to the crates in the corner of the garage.

Zach sounded it off and began singing in a slow melodic voice, "You know our love was meant to be/the kid of love that lasts forever/and I need you here with me/from tonight and forever." The band suddenly stopped playing for a brief moment and then began the song again, this time with a much heavier punk rock tone: "Always on my mind/in my heart/in my soul baby…" The rest of the song proceeded in a similar tone. When the song concluded, both Rory and Logan stood up and gave them a standing ovation.

"Wow, I never knew Chicago could rock that hard." Logan said.

"Dude, that was awesome! That is the way it should have been played the first time around." Gil agreed.

"So does this mean we can take the gig?" Lane asked the band.

"I think that it is a good possibility." Zach answered.

"Hey Lane, you guys sounded great. Logan and I have to get going though." Rory said standing up.

"Thanks for stopping by Rory. And call me later okay?" Lane said with a tone that meant Rory had some explaining to do.

"Okay, bye guys." Rory said to the rest of the band.

"It was nice meeting you all. You sounded great. Good luck at the reunion." Logan said as they left.

"I have to admit they were really good." Logan said as they left the garage.

"Would you expect me to have bad taste in music?" Rory asked?

"Not at all, I just did not know what kind of music your friend's band would play. I was scared it would be some kind of pop-rock. This was way more Ramones than Creed." Logan said.

"If you ever called Lane's band Creed I think they would castrate you." Rory said laughing.

"I got that impression after hearing their rendition of 'You're the Inspiration.'" Logan said.

"So are you in the mood for some ice cream?" Rory asked.

"I am always in the mood for ice cream. It is one of my favorite food groups." Logan said smiling.

"Great, because I know where we can get the greatest Chocolate, Chocolate, Chocolate ice cream ever." Rory said smiling.

As Rory and Logan entered the Soda Shoppe, a smiling Taylor greeted them. "If it isn't Stars Hallow's own Ice Cream Queen!" He said going up to Rory.

"Ice cream queen?" Logan whispered to Rory questioningly.

"Long story. If you are lucky some day I will tell you about it." Rory whispered back. "Hey Taylor. Could we get two cones of Triple Chocolate?" Rory asked.

"Sugar or waffle cone?" Taylor responded.

"Sugar please." Rory said. "What about you Logan?"

"I will have sugar as well." Logan said.

As if only noticing Logan at that point, Taylor looked up from his scooping to acknowledge Rory's guest. "Who is your friend Rory?" He asked looking Logan up and down.

"This is Logan. Logan this is Taylor Dosse." Rory said.

"It is nice to meet you Logan. Do you go to Yale with our Rory?" Taylor asked.

"Yes, we met through the newspaper." Logan said, which was only half the truth.

"It is nice to see someone with similar passions as Rory. Well aside from that Paris girl." Taylor said.

"Yes, Rory and I have a lot in common." Logan said, smiling at Rory.

"Thanks for the ice cream Taylor." Rory said as she paid for the two cones. "I will see you at the next town meeting." She said leaving.

"Does this entire town know your life history?" Logan asked as they walked out of the store.

"It is hard not to. We are an incredibly small town, and with people like Miss Patty spreading all the latest gossip, it usually takes a matter of minutes for the entire town to learn the latest news." Rory explained. "I am sure that everyone here now knows that my new boyfriend is visiting."

"So why are they all playing it cool?" Logan asked.

"Who knows? I never said I knew the thinking behind the town, I just know its logistics." Rory said laughing. "They probably have some sort of ulterior motif. They all most likely enjoy watching my new Yale friend squirm."

"Well, as much fun as that all sounds, it is 6:30 now and I think we should get the stuff your mom asked for so we will be back by 7." Logan said, hoping to change the subject from the townspeople's reaction to him.

"Okay, well Dosse's is just across the street, so lets stop by there first and then pick up the movies on the way back to my house." Rory said.

Rory and Logan entered Dosse's again hand in hand while licking their ice cream cones. Rory motioned for Logan to pick up a basket for their food and she continued her way towards the junk food isle.

"Okay, we are going to need some popcorn, caramel, M&Ms, licorice, peanut butter, marshmallows and some chocolate bars." Rory said as she grabbed the things off the shelf and threw them in the basket. "I think that should do it. I am pretty sure that we still have some stuff left at home too." Rory said, worried that she did not grab enough food.

"Yeah, this looks like it could feed an army as it is." Logan said laughing.

"Tisk-tisk Huntzberger. You have no clue how the Gilmore's eat." Rory said laughing.

"Well if you need anything else though out the night I promise that I will get it for you." Logan said.

"Oh no, no." Rory said. "You don't understand. Once the movie marathon commences, there is to be no interruptions. This includes telephone calls and trips to the market." Rory said.

"I did not realize that you had rules regarding this." Logan said smiling.

"Oh yes, we take movie night very, very seriously." Rory explained with a straight face. "We are running out of time, let's hurry out of here and go get the movies." Rory said, hoping that they would escape before running into Dean. Unfortunately as Rory and Logan rounded the corner of the isle and made their way towards the registers they smacked right into him.

"Uh Dean. Hi." Rory said awkwardly. "I don't know if you remember Logan." She said, gesturing to the guy whose hand she was holding.

"Yeah, I think you were at the party at the Gilmore's." Dean said gruffly.

"Yeah, I helped out Ace at that party." Logan said, not knowing how to act around Dean.

"I am sure you did." Dean said looking more mad than hurt.

"Well it was great seeing you again Dean." Rory said hurriedly. "My mom is waiting, so we should get going."

"Yeah, whatever Rory." Dean said, turning away.

Rory could not help but look a little hurt after the encounter with her ex.

"Are you doing okay?" Logan asked as they made their way to the video store.

"I think so. I just did not want to run into him there. I have not really spoken to him since that night, and things ended so suddenly. I know that things were coming to an end for the past few months…but the reality did not set in until that night at my grandparent's." Rory tried to explain.

"I know Rory." Logan said as he put his arm around her waist. "I figured that running into him would shake you up a bit. I hope you are not regretting anything though." Logan asked seriously.

"I would never regret anything that has to do with you and me." Rory said. "Things between me and Dean were going nowhere, and if it weren't for you I would still be with him miserable." Rory said. "I think you are one of the best things that could have happened to me."

"I know you are the best thing that happened to me." Logan said. "I have something that I want to run by you, and I want to talk to you about it before we go back to your mom's." Logan said, looking really nervous.

"Should this worry me?" Rory asked. "You seem a little edgy."

"No, this is good news, I hope." Logan said. "I was thinking that because we still have a couple weeks left of break, I thought you may want to take a little vacation with me." Logan said.

"A vacation?" Rory asked. A little shocked that he was asking her to go away with him after dating for a grand total of one day.

"Well, my parents have an apartment in New York, and they are planning on selling it before the summer because they never stay there anymore. My dad says he would rather stay in a hotel when he goes to New York now and it is too much work maintaining an apartment they only use a few times a year. So they told me that I should get any use of it now while we still own it. I really love New York, especially at this time of the year, and I would like to share it with you." Logan said.

"Wow, you want me to stay in your parent's apartment in New York with you?" Rory asked in shock.

"Well, my parents won't be there, they are actually spending the next few weeks in London. But yeah, we can spend as much or as little time there as you would like." Logan said hopefully.

"New York City." Rory said in disbelief. "You want me to go to New York City with you."

"You can take some time to think about it." Logan said, hoping she would not turn him down immediately.

"I don't have to think about it." Rory said.

"Oh, okay" Logan said looking a little depressed.

"Of course I would like to go to New York with you!" Rory said dropping the bag of groceries in her hand and embracing him in a huge hug. Logan dropped his head down so that their lips connected. Rory deepened the kiss, allowing his tongue to plunge deep inside her mouth. His soft lips lingered on hers for a while longer and Logan stepped back, needing to distance himself from her for a minute to gather his thoughts.

"So you really want to go?" Logan asked unsure.

"Oh my God yes! When can we go? Can we stay until school starts? Will I get my own room? Where in New York are we going? Do you have anything planned for us to do? Are you going to drive there?" Rory rambled.

"Calm down, calm down." Logan said laughing. "Are you sure your mom is going to be okay with this?"

"I will convince her, don't worry about that." Rory said with a gleam in her eye.

"So do you want to leave tomorrow?" He asked her.

"Yes! I will have to go back to school and pack some stuff, but that should not take too long." Rory said excitedly.

Rory and Logan continued walking down the street towards the video store as Dean watched the interaction take place on the street from Dosse's. He clenched his fist as he saw Rory kiss him. He knew that he broke up with her, but Rory would always have a strong hold on him. He realized that she was happy now, and he would not be able to make her happy again, but he still wished it was him that she was with.


	11. The Road Out

Chapter 11

The Road Out

Surprisingly to Rory, it had only taken Lorelai a few minutes to agree to let her only child go to New York with her boyfriend. Lorelai actually thought it would be a good idea. Growing up with people like Christopher, she knew how much other people had a tendency to interfere with not only their relationship, but their personalities as well. Lorelai figured that since this was the first time Rory was dating a guy with a similar background as her, it was important that they get to know each other as individuals before the complexity of their families and friends started impacting their relationship. As hard as it was to see Rory drifting towards the life she escaped from, she knew that Logan made her happy, and Lorelai had to admit he was a catch. From what she could tell Logan was the perfect guy for Rory. Not only was he incredibly handsome, but he shared her interest in the newspaper and literature. Logan is also incredibly intelligent, and that is something that she knew Rory needed in a relationship to keep her interest.

Rory was 20 years old, and as rough as it was to see her little girl grow up, she knew that she would not always be the innocent child that had gone 16 years without kissing a boy. Lorelai knew that Rory would be smart about being with Logan, and she knew that Rory could be trusted completely. Lorelai agreed to the get-away under the condition that Rory called her at least once a day to check in and that she also get her something nice while she is visiting New York.

Rory was so excited to be going to New York with Logan. She had been there on a few occasions, but never for an extended stay. She did not know the city well enough to stay by herself, and she was excited to have Logan as a tour guide.

After the movie marathon Logan left Rory at her house and he returned to his dorm to pack for their stay in New York. He could not believe how cool Lorelai had been about letting Rory go with him. He could barely sleep that night as he anticipated the weeks to come.

The next day Lorelai dropped Rory off at her dorm and she helped her pack until Logan was to pick her up at noon. At around 11:30, Lorelai dropped to her bed in exasperation.

"Seriously, how many dresses will you need for a two week trip?" Lorelai said sighing. "Your bag is not big enough to fit the essentials, like socks and underwear. And don't you even think about saying you wont need underwear."

"Mom, I have a second bag I can pack. I will keep this one for my dresses and the other one for my jeans and other essentials." Rory said as she hauled a large suitcase out from under her bed.

"Good, you can never pack too much really." Lorelai said, excited by the fact that she had another bag to work with. "I am thinking you will need at least three pairs of jeans, two skirts, five sweaters, and some sweatshirts. Then you will need all your makeup, hairdryer, curling iron, and toothbrush…are you sure that two bags will be enough?" Lorelai asked skeptically.

"I am not going to bring more than two bags. Logan will think that I am some sort of high maintenance prissy moron." Rory said, also looking uncertainly at her overflowing suitcases.

"You also have to take into account that you will be bringing back more than you brought. You are going to New York, you will definitely be buying new clothes and such while you stay. So I think you should bring three bags, loosely pack all of them, and then that way when you buy another bag worth of stuff you will have a place to put it all." Lorelai said, happy with her decision.

"I guess I did not think about where I would be putting what I would buy there. Okay, well I have another duffle bag, so let's just throw my bathroom stuff in that one and then we should be set. Did I forget anything?"

"Pajamas?" Lorelai asked.

"Yup, I got em." Rory answered.

"Shoes?"

"I packed them with the dresses." Rory said.

"Okay, well I guess if you did forget anything you can always buy it. Do you have enough money for the trip? I could always loan you some money if you need any." Lorelai said.

"That is okay Mom; I have a ton of money saved up from my birthdays from Grandpa. I don't like to spend it, but this is a special situation." Rory said.

"Well don't spend it all, you need something for emergencies."

"I don't think I could spend it all." Rory said thinking about the $5,000 she had in her bank account. She did not want to tell her mom about all the money she had because she knew that she would only get mad at her parents for giving it to Rory. She had been saving the money for years. She never knew what to spend it on, so she just put it all in the bank. Now that she was finally going somewhere on her own, she felt it would be the perfect occasion to tap into her savings.

"Oh man, it is noon! Mom, sit on this bag so I can close it." Rory said, pointing to one of the overflowing suitcases.

Lorelai plopped down on the bag and somehow Rory managed to pull the zipper shut. The next few minutes involved a scrambling Rory throwing on her coat and attempting to lug her suitcases down the hall towards the exit.

"Why do I need so much stuff?" Rory asked in exasperation.

"Because you are my daughter. We pack for every event. I was forced to learn this from my mother." Lorelai said, pulling an especially heavy suitcase behind her.

After a few minutes of this, they finally reached the doors leading their way outside. As soon as the cold air hit them they both sat down on their suitcases to take a break from all the manual labor. Rory spotted Logan making his way towards them from where he parked his BMW.

"Hey ladies." Logan said with his handsome grin.

"Logan! Goodie. I have never been so glad to see you in my life!" Lorelai yelled.

"Need some help with those Ace?" Logan said laughing at the sight of the two women sitting on the bags.

"Oh please! Who ever knew that Rory was such a spoiled brat? She packs way too much." Lorelai said, laughing at Rory.

"Whatever mom, you were the one who told me to pack half of this stuff." Rory retorted.

"Calm down ladies. How about I take these two and then Rory you take the smaller duffle bag?" Logan said pointing at the two huge suitcases that were currently operating as benches.

"I think I can handle that." Rory said smiling at him.

"Okay mom, I think that we are leaving soon." Rory said looking towards her mom.

"Well Rory, have fun, be safe and don't do anything that I wouldn't do!" Lorelai said.

"That does not leave out a lot." Rory said laughing.

"Okay, fine, then don't do anything Luke would not do." Lorelai responded.

"Haha, then I won't even be going." Rory said.

"Argh, okay, how about this. Don't do anything Rory would not do!" She said with a smile.

"I don't plan on it." Rory said embracing her mom in a hug.

"I am going to miss you sweetie." Lorelai said.

"Me too mom. I will only be gone for two weeks. We will talk daily. And if anything happens I will be come back, but I don't expect anything happening." Rory said letting go of her mother.

Lorelai walked over to where Logan was standing and gave him a hug. While she was hugging him she whispered in his ear: "I know you will take good care of her, but if you do anything to hurt her, I will hunt you down, and be afraid my friend, be very, very afraid."

"Right, well, umm thanks Lorelai. I will, and you don't have to worry about anything." Logan said with an awkward smile.

"Bye mom!" Rory said stepping into the car.

"Bye Rory." Lorelai said watching as they drove away. She felt her eyes tear up at the sight of her daughter driving off with her boyfriend. As much as she enjoyed having such a mature daughter, it was times like these that she wished she were still ten years old and clinging to her as they went out in public.

"Are you excited?" Logan asked Rory, hoping that she was.

"I am very excited." Rory responded grinning from ear to ear. "How long until we get there?"

"It will be about an hour and a half." Logan told her. So you might as well make yourself comfortable. I think we will avoid most of the traffic leaving at this time though."

"That is not bad." Rory said, actually looking forward to the time they would be spending in the car. She found a CD case under her seat and started looking through his collection.

"Not bad. The Killers, Led Zeppelin, Nirvana, The Offspring, Cold, Carbon Leaf, The Starting Line, Face to Face. I am totally impressed." Rory said.

"What were you expecting? Nelly, P. Diddy etc?" Logan said.

"Oh my GOD!" Rory said.

"What?" Logan asked jumping.

"You have Val Emmich." Rory exclaimed. "I love him."

"Yeah?" Logan asked. "I thought I was the only one who knew who he was."

"No way, I love his song 'Shock.' It is like my life story." Rory said, referring to the lyrics that go "Tell me it's a joke/tell me you're kidding/'Cause I believed in you/but now you have a lot to prove" in fact, the entire album reminded her of Jess.

"I can't believe you know who he is!" Logan said excited about her taste in music. "They are going to be in New York while we are there." He said.

"Really? Can we go see him?" Rory asked hopefully.

"Yes, I wanted to go, but I did not know if you would like his music, so I would have skipped it. He is going to be at the Knitting Factory in a few days." Logan said.

"That is so cool. I can't wait! Are there any other bands that will be playing in New York that you are afraid I won't like?" Rory asked hopefully.

Logan could not help but laugh at her last statement. "I am not sure, but we can always investigate. If there is anything you want to see, let me know and I am sure we can work it in."

"I have a good feeling about this trip." Rory said smiling.

"So do I." Logan responded. Rory was pretty sure he was not referring to their entertainment.

"Do you have any special requests while we are in the city? I have a few things planned, but nothing that will occupy us for the entire two weeks." Logan said.

"Oh gosh, there is so much to do in New York! I have only been here a few times, so I know there is so much left for me to see. Off the top of my head, I know I want to see the Statue of Liberty obviously, the Empire State Building, the Intrepid Museum, the United Nations, the Met, Rockefeller Center, the Guggenheim and the Museum of Modern Art. Oh and Broadway! I want to see Avenue Q, and a taping of the Late Show, and as hokey as it sounds, I want to stand outside the windows of the Today show and hold up a sign for mom." Rory said rambling at this point.

"Woah there big shooter." Logan said laughing. "You have to pace yourself here. The tickets to the shows should be a piece of cake. I will let my dad know that we want to get into them and he will send some over. As for the rest of it, well, we are here for two weeks, I think that is more than enough time to get all of it in."

"I want to go shopping too." Rory said.

"I assumed you would. If it is okay with you, I invited Finn, Colin and Stephanie to join us next Wednesday and so they are coming in early and I figured you and Steph could spend most of the day shopping and then we can all meet up later and hang out." Logan said.

"That sounds like a great idea. I didn't think you would be too into the idea of spending a day shopping." Rory said.

"Yeah, but I think we have already had this conversation." He smiled at her. "Well Rory, it looks like we have arrived." Logan said as he pulled into a large parking garage.

Rory sat in stunned silence taking in the building. It was a gorgeous pre-war building. They were located off of Madison Avenue, so she could only assume that the apartment could be rented for nearly $5,000 a month. She had no idea how much the Huntzberger's must have paid for it, she assumed somewhere in the millions. A doorman came out to help Rory and Logan with their luggage. The older man greeted Logan by name. Logan introduced Rory to the man and he shook her hand with one of his gloved hands. The doorman said that they had spent the last week preparing the room according to Logan's specifications and if there were any problems they would see to it immediately.

Logan led Rory to the elevator where he pushed the button for the 25th floor. He found the apartment and opened the door to reveal a spacious two bedroom apartment. The apartment was huge in comparison to most located in New York. The kitchen looked like it had recently been renovated, and the large foyer entrance housed a stone fireplace. The ceilings were high, reaching up about 15 feet and all along the walls were built in shelves which the Huntzberger's had adorned with a huge collection of books. The corner windows looked out over Madison Avenue, and Rory could see all of the stores she could not wait to visit.

"You can take my room." Logan said. "I assume you will be more comfortable in there instead of my parent's master room" he explained.

"That will be great." She said, dragging one of her suitcases after him into Logan's room. She looked around the tasteful room. It was apparent he did not spend a lot of time here. The room was very simple, yet elegant. It had a queen sized bed, a table with a lamp and an alarm clock on it and a dresser. It was painted a deep navy blue, which Rory liked immediately. It made the large room appear much more cozy and comfortable. The red comforter gave his room a Nautical feeling to it, which made Rory want to comment about the Fiji incident, but she knew better.

"There should not really be anything in here. I may have left a couple shirts behind, but you can move those all to one drawer and unpack your stuff. Use the closet too. I will give you a few minutes to put your stuff away." Logan said, leaving her to unpack.

Rory spent the next few minutes looking around his bedroom. She noticed that he had his own bathroom that was again done in the dark blue theme. The marble floors sparkled, and there were new towels out for her use. Rory was too excited to explore the room too thoroughly, she wanted to get unpacked and start exploring the city. She cleared out her bags in record time, and then went to go find Logan in his parent's room.

His door was closed partially, so she knocked. He told her she did not have to knock and to come in. She walked in and saw him hanging up his clothes.

"That was fast. Are you done putting your stuff away already?" He asked her.

"Yes, why aren't you? I want to get out of here. We have so much to see!" Rory said excitedly.

"Well first of all, I am starving. I think we should maybe grab something to eat and then just walk around this area so you can acquaint yourself with where you will be staying for the next two weeks." Logan suggested.

"That sounds like it would probably be a good idea. I am also really hungry. Do you know of anything good?" Rory asked.

"There is a place called Osso Buco that is right by us. We won't have to get on the subway to get there, we can just walk." Logan said.

"That sounds like it would be good." Rory said. "Are you ready to go now?" She said as her stomach growled.

"I can be. It sounds like you are." Logan said laughing at her.

Rory and Logan walked out of the apartment complex waving goodbye to the doorman and walking the 6 blocks to the restaurant hand in hand.

Rory was impressed by the simple elegant décor of the restaurant. The entire room was painted in khaki, red and black theme. The clothed tables were set up in an open dinning area with a balcony above with more seating. One wall was lined with an immaculate bar where a few locals were enjoying a drink after getting off of work for the day. Other than that, the early time allowed for the restaurant to be fairly empty.

After Rory and Logan sat down for their lunch/dinner Logan asked her if she had seen anything that she wanted to check out.

"Not yet, but I am sure it won't take me long to find something." Rory said smiling.

"There is a bookstore that I want you to see." Logan said. "I heard you talking to that guy in Stars Hallow about an out of print book, this place is called The Last Word, it is just a few streets over, we should go there before we head back." Logan said. "This place has just about every book you could think of, it also has a lot of first additions. I think you will love it."

"Are you kidding me? That sounds like heaven. Wait, do they serve coffee?" Rory asked smiling.

"In fact, they do." Logan said, returning her grin.

"Scratch that, it is heaven." Rory said.

"Well then, I am glad that I was able to show it to you." Logan said, grabbing her hand from across the table. "It is one of my favorite shops. They can get anything there."

"I did not realize that you were a book enthusiast." Rory said in surprise.

"Well Rory, this is why we are taking these two weeks to be together. There is a lot about me that you don't know." He said winking.

Rory could feel her heart melt. Logan was taking the time to show her places that he likes that he knew she would love. She could not wait to see the book store. She hoped that they would be open for a while, because she had a feeling it would be the type of place she could spend hours at.

Rory ate her dinner quicker than usual, and she impatiently waited for Logan to finish eating his.

"I knew I should have just surprised you." He said laughing at her tapping foot.

"I am sorry, you tell me about this amazing book store and you don't expect me to want to leave immediately? What do you expect?" Rory said exasperated.

"Well I do apologize my lady. Next time I find something amazing I want to share with you, I will keep it to myself until we are upon it." He said smiling.

"Good idea," Rory said uncrossing her arms and leaning towards him. "So are you done yet?"

Logan set down his napkin and said that he was. He quickly paid the bill and was escorted out of the restaurant by an impatient Rory.

"You are going to have to slow down if you want me to show you where the bookstore is." Logan said.

"Sorry, you are just walking too slowly!" Rory yelled back to him.

"Well you are in luck, because it is just around the corner." Logan replied.

Rory quickened her speed as she rounded the corner and saw the sign for the Last Word looming ahead of her. She had almost broken out in a run by the time she reached the doors. A few moments later Logan joined her by the doors. She held her breath as she opened the doors, not quite knowing what to expect.

The book store was huge. Lined from ceiling to floor with volumes and volumes of books. She did not know where to go first. She saw an expansive history section and was tempted to make her way over there, but then her eyes landed on her favorite area, Classics.

She led Logan along by the hand and pulled him into the massive area. There were rows upon rows of shelves dedicated to this type of writing. Rory scanned the books quickly at first, thinking she could look closer the second time around. After picking up two books from the first row, she rounded the corner and ran right into someone causing her to drop the books she had in her arms.

"Oh my, I am so sorry." Rory said, bending down to pick up the books.

The man also leaned down to help her, and as they began standing she got her first real look at him.

"Jess…" She said.

"Hi Rory." Jess said in a gruff tone, instantly recognizable. "Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine"

Dun dun duunnnnn—that is my cliffhanger. You dig it?


	12. The PastThe Future

Chapter 12

The Past

Rory stood there completely in shock, staring at her past love. She wanted to run away and be alone to think. She had not seen him since he had asked her to go away to New York with him, and here she was in New York in a random bookstore staring face-to-face with the boy she rejected.

"So I see you wanted to go to New York, just not with me." Jess was the first to speak. He looked more hurt than angry. He had not changed at all since Rory had last seen him. He was still the same scrappy looking kid who looked like the world was out to get him.

"I don't want to do this." Rory said. "I see you have not changed. I am not about to start justifying my life to you because I randomly bump into you here." Rory said looking furious. At that time Logan had rounded the corner looking for Rory.

"Hey Rory, I thought I would find you bury in a sea of books." Logan said smiling at her. His smile quickly dimmed as he saw a pale Rory looking infuriated by the person she was talking to. "What is going on here?" Logan asked.

"Nothing, I was just leaving." Jess said to Rory.

Logan watched as the mysterious guy made his way out of the bookstore. He turned to Rory, "What was that all about?" he asked.

"Let's get out of here. I think we need to talk." Rory said.

Logan did not know what to do or say, so all he could do was nod his head and he gently took Rory's hand and led her out of the store and back to the apartment.

Jess watched from a distance as Rory and the blonde walked away from the store. He did not know what else to do but follow them. He watched as they entered an expensive looking apartment building and disappear into its elevators. Jess was furious, hurt, and shocked all at once. He was so stunned to see Rory that he did not know how to react. He never thought that he would run into her in New York, and he was not ready to see her with a new boyfriend. He had thought about this moment a million times. He did not know how he would react when he saw Rory again, if he ever would, but he never assumed that their encounter would go so poorly. He had never loved anybody the way he loved Rory. He had not seen her for over a year and she still managed to make his heart hurt after seeing her. He knew that by leaving things the way they were he was never going to be able to be with Rory again, but he never truly believed that. Sighing, he turned away from the building and headed back to his apartment to think about these interesting new developments.

"So I take it he was an ex." Logan said as he took off his coat.

"Yeah, I dated him after Dean and I broke up the second time." Rory said.

"Are you expecting to run into any other old boyfriends in the near future? Because this is getting really awkward for me." Logan said, half jokingly.

"No, you have really just met all of the significant ones." Rory said. "Things between me and them were…complicated. I don't know if you want to hear about it all."

"Rory, they are a part of your past, and I know that you are with me now, but I don't want you to feel like you can't tell me things. I want you to be honest with me, I want to know why that guy looked so mad, but I can understand if you don't want me to know. We have just started dating, and hearing about one's exes is a risky move." Logan said, sliding up to Rory on the sofa.

"I want you to know about them, especially now that you have met them both. I just don't know where to begin with it all. I don't have any feelings for either of them, but they were extremely important to me at one point in my life…I don't know. This is all so weird. I have never had to do this before." Rory said, not knowing if she should tell Logan about her complicated love history.

"If you want to talk about it, I want to hear about it. Don't think that I will get jealous and resent you. I just want to know all about you, and they were an important part of you." Logan said.

"I will only tell you about them if you tell me about your history." Rory said, not sure if she wanted to know about Logan's past.

Logan quickly agreed. He had actually planned on telling Rory about his history during their trip, he just did not know it would be on their first night.

"So this is going to get serious hu?" Rory said, trying to lighten things up.

"Well, not too serious, I mean it is you and me." Logan said with a little smile.

"Okay, well here it goes" Rory said, turning to face Logan. "I guess it all began when I was 16. I just found out that I had been accepted into Chilton, when I met Dean. He had just moved to Stars Hallow from Chicago and I guess from the first time he saw me he knew that I was different. He made me question whether or not I wanted to even go to the new school, but I knew that school was more important than a silly crush. We saw each other occasionally, and I helped him get a job at Dosse's. Then one day, I went into the store to see him, but under the guise of needing some baking soda and he kissed me."

"In the grocery store?" Logan said laughing.

"Yes, right there by the refrigerated goods." Rory said smiling at the memory.

"I got freaked out and ran. I had never kissed a boy before and I did not know what to do. Anyway, to make a long story short, we started dating after that. We got to the three month mark and he built me a car." Rory said.

"A CAR? Damn, how am I going to top that?" Logan said.

"Anyway, we were sitting in it and he told me that he loved me. I did not know what to say. Did I love him? Could I love him? Was what I felt love? I was so confused. I did not say anything. He took that as me not loving him in return and he broke up with me. He broke up with me on our anniversary. It was awful. The entire town was mad at him, not realizing that it was my fault. We stayed separated for a while, but I was miserable without him. I took this feeling as love and I finally told him about my feelings. So we got back together. This time I figured for good. Then Jess came to town."

"Jess. Is this the guy I just met?" Logan asked.

"Yeah, Jess is Luke's nephew. His mother could not handle him, he was out of control and she thought that Luke may be able to set him straight. I was attracted to him right away. He was mysterious, smart, dangerous, and he seemed to like me. I could not help but like him. He was so different from Dean. Dean had been an amazing boyfriend, but life with him was so predictable. Jess was spontaneous and I liked that. Anyway, Dean got jealous and broke up with me again, this time in front of the entire town. I was upset, but I knew that it was bound to happen."

"So then you started dating Jess?" Logan asked.

"Yeah, and things were going great. He reads more than I do, and we always had awesome conversations about books and music, but I could never count on him. He never called me, my mom hated him, the entire town hated him, he treated me poorly and he always took advantage of me. But he could also be one of the sweetest guys ever. While I was dating Jess, Dean started dating a new girl named Lindsay. By the time Jess and my relationship had fallen to pieces, Dean decided that he wanted to marry Lindsay. So there I was, in a horrible relationship with Jess and watching the guy I once loved getting married to another girl."

"Dean is MARRIED?" Logan looked completely shocked. "Is he still married?"

"Wait! I have not gotten there yet." Rory said.

"Sorry, I am just shocked." Logan said.

"You are shocked, how do you think I felt! Anyway, so Jess found out that he was not going to be able to graduate high school because he had skipped too many classes and Luke said that he would have to repeat his senior year or move out. Jess decided he liked the latter option better and moved to California with his dad. He never said goodbye. I saw him on the bus one day, and that was it. We were still supposed to be dating. He called me a few times, but never said anything. We just sat there, not saying anything to each other, until on my graduation day I told him that I thought I had loved him but he left, and now things were over and basically told him how he screwed up and how I could not do this to myself anymore." Rory said, now on the verge of tears.

Logan held Rory tighter and told her it was okay and she did not have to continue.

"It's okay, I want to finish. Anyway, I spent that summer in Europe with my mom. I tried not to get Jess out of my head, but it was a difficult summer. I started Yale that year and I saw Jess once when he came back to town to get his car. He avoided me the entire time he was in town and then when he was leaving, he told me that he loved me. He left me standing on the street corner like a fool as he rode off. He said he loved me and that was it. I did not see him for a few months until his mom's wedding. This time he came to see me at Yale. Dean and I managed to create some sort of friendship, and when Jess found me Dean was with me. Dean got mad and left, and Jess asked me to go to New York with him. He wanted me to live with him because we were supposed to be together."

"He wanted you to leave Yale?!?!" Logan could not believe this guy. First he treated her like shit and then he had the nerve to come back to her and asking her to leave Yale to live with him. "What did you say?"

"I said no obviously! I knew that would never work. Sure I had loved him, but look at what he did to me. He left me once, how was I to know he would not do it again, this time with more to lose. I was happy at Yale and I did not want to give it up. So that was the last time I have seen him since today."

"I take it that's why he looked so pissed." Logan said, it all coming together now.

"Yeah, I had not seen him since then and when I do I am in New York with a new guy. I am sure he was hurt." Rory said.

"What are you feeling?" Logan asked, not sure what to expect.

"I don't feel anything towards him. I thought I would. I thought about how things would go between us if I were to see him again, but then I met you. He was never right for me. I thought he was, I thought I loved him, but I was never happy with him. I am happy now, and I don't want to ever go back to what I went through with him." Rory said, squeezing Logan's hand.

"Good, I am relieved." Logan said, smiling at her and giving her a quick kiss before she continued.

"Anyway, I got closer to Dean after that." Rory said, not knowing if she wanted to continue. After a long pause Logan spoke.

"You don't have to finish." He said, guessing what came next.

"I want to. I have not really told this story out loud, except to my mom. I want to get it out." Rory said. "Anyway, Dean and I slept together. I lost my virginity to a married man." Rory said, allowing a tear to trickle down her cheek.

Logan wiped away the tear and kissed her where it had once been. Rory smiled at him and continued. "I was so confused. I wanted to be with him, or so I thought. I thought I loved him, but he was married! My grandma invited me to Europe with her, so I went, wanting to get away from Dean and my mom. I told her what had happened and she was disappointed to say the least. It was a rough summer. I hated being in Europe and I hated being mad at my mom. To make a long story short, Lindsay found out about me and Dean. She got mad at him and he moved back home. Dean and I stayed together, thinking that we owed it to each other to work it out. And we did, until the day of my party."

"When he broke up with you in front of us." Logan finished.

"Yeah, when he broke up with me again, for the third and last time." Rory said.

"Wow." Was all Logan could think to say.

"Wow? Is that all you have to say to me? I just poured my heart out." Rory said.

"Well, I just never knew. How could I know? I am sorry that you had to go through all of that. You don't deserve it. I don't want to hurt you like Dean or Jess did…they are both idiots. I guess they both know that now though. I have a feeling that both of them are more than a little hung up on you, and I can't blame them." Logan said.

"You are not jealous are you?" Rory said poking him.

"Me? Jealous? Are you kidding? Okay, maybe a little." Logan said. "Your past with them is more than I can compete with."

"Don't worry about my past. I wanted you to know for our future. That is if you will still have me now that you know I was the other woman." Rory said, only half kidding.

"We all make mistakes. I can't say that I am perfect." Logan said with his trademark grin.

"Speaking of you, it is your turn to tell me about your past." Rory said, grinning at the opportunity to get back at him.

"Okay, well here it goes: Jessica, Alyssa, Emily and Tiffany." Logan said simply.

"What about them?" Rory said rolling her eyes.

That's it. I don't have a long list of women. My reputation is entirely that, a reputation. It is has been exaggerated and complicated beyond my actual life." Logan said simply.

"Well you can't get away that easy. I just spent an hour telling you about Dean and Jess. You can't just list off a few names and call it a day." Rory complained.

"Okay, well I will fill in the important details then." Logan said with a grin, obviously enjoying toying with her. "Jessica was my first serious girlfriend. I met her in high school and we dated for three years. I lost my virginity to her and I thought that we were soul mates. I worshiped her." Logan began.

"Then what?" Rory said, intrigued.

"Then I found out that she apparently did not feel the same way. I found out that she had been cheating on me with some other guy from my high school. So we obviously broke up after that and I entered college as a single guy. I had a few flings my first semester, and I think that is when I picked up the reputation. That was where Alyssa and Emily come in. They were more like complicated one night stands. I never felt anything for them. I don't even know why I did it, I was still hung up on Jessica and I wanted to get over it, but it was a three year relationship, I knew it would not be that simple." Logan said.

"So what about Tiffany?" Rory asked.

"Tiffany was different. I met her my sophomore year. She was smart, funny, cute and challenging. We dated for almost the entire year. I thought I may have loved her. I thought she loved me. Then I found out that she only put up with me because of my money and looks. She came from a wealthy family and she wanted to marry a guy with money. After we broke up I took the year off to think about what I was doing with my life."

"So Fiji?" Rory ventured.

"Yeah, that is when the infamous Fiji incident occurred. During the time off I told myself that I would not put myself in a situation where I could get hurt. I figured that I would just drift from girl to girl, never getting too serious, thus never getting hurt. Then I met you. I knew right away that you were different from other girls. Instead of throwing yourself at me because of my money or looks or reputation, you seemed to despise me. That made me want to figure you out more. I never thought I would fall for you. It actually took me a while to realize that I did have feelings for you, and that freaked me out. I was afraid to get too close because I think you may have the ability to destroy me." Logan said, looking down at his hands.

Logan gathered his thoughts and continued. "That is why I asked you to come here with me. I wanted us to have time together so we could see if this is something that we want to continue and if we are in it for the right reasons." Logan said.

"I want your money." Rory said deadpan.

"What?" Logan looked shocked.

"I want your money fool. Why else do you think I would be with you?" Rory said busting out laughing.

Logan playfully punched her in the arm. "That is not funny! You had me going." Logan said.

"Do you seriously think that little of me? Logan, I think we need to discuss what we have going on here." Rory said. "I really like you. I think you are one of the most intriguing people I have ever met. You are the perfect mix of sweet and daring. You are smart and I feel like I can talk to you forever. You make me feel comfortable and you make me laugh. I am not in this for your money or for your looks. I have tried for months to deny that I felt anything for you, and I think that is by far harder than being with you, this just feels right. So please don't question my feelings for you, and trust me when I say that I am here for the right reasons."

Logan stared into Rory's bright blue eyes, lost in their sincerity. "Right," he paused. "Rory, I guess all I can say is…" he leaned down towards her and gently kissed her. She laced her fingers through his hair and deepened the kiss. Minutes passed like seconds as they sat on the couch kissing. She had never felt so close with anyone. And he finally knew what love could feel like. He wanted every aspect of Rory. He pulled her closer as they kissed, wanting their bodies to meld together. He explored her body with his hands, never letting his lips leave hers. Things were moving quickly; too quickly he thought. He wanted to be with Rory, but he wanted to take his time. This was one relationship he did not want to mess up. He pulled away.

"Rory, I think we should slow down." He said looking at her.

"Are you not ready?" She asked confused.

"Are _you_?" Logan asked in shock.

"I…uh…yeah, I think so." Rory said.

"Really? I don't want to pressure you into anything. I am totally okay with waiting. In fact, I had planned on waiting. I did not bring you here to get in your pants." Logan said.

"Logan, I am old enough to make my own decisions, I am ready to be with you. Tonight was special for me in many ways, and I know I can trust you." Rory said.

"As long as you are sure…" Logan said, hardly able to believe that she was ready.

Rory stood up and leaned towards him and whispered, "I have never been surer." She let her fingers trail over his neck as she made her way to his room. Logan was quickly at her side as they entered and closed the door…


	13. The Regret

Chapter 12

The Regret

Rory awoke with a start. She glanced over to see a sleeping Logan to her left and turned to read the clock: 3:14am. She was on the verge of tears thinking about the night before. She had only been with one other man, and that had taken years to come about. She had slept with Logan after only dating him for three days! She needed her mother; she needed to talk to her now.

Rory silently inched her way off the bed, careful not to wake up Logan. She grabbed her phone from the bedside table, and silently scurried to the bathroom. She shut the door and dialed the comforting number.

"Whoever this is, it had better be a life or death situation, because I have not had any caffeine, and it is 3 in the morning!" Her mom yelled.

"Mom." Rory's voice was shaking.

Lorelai sat up in bed after hearing her daughter's scared voice. "Rory? What happened?" Lorelai said, completely awake with fear.

"I think I did something stupid." Rory said, now letting the tears fall.

"What? Rory, what is going on? Talk to me." Lorelai said nearly frantic.

"I slept with Logan." Rory tried to explain.

"Oh." Rory could hear the disappointment in her mother's voice. "Rory, you are an adult, you can make your own decisions. Were you at least safe?"

"Yes, we were safe…but I think it was a mistake." Rory said, all out bawling now.

"Why do you think that honey?" Lorelai said, not wanting to yell at her for sleeping with a guy so soon after dating him.

"Mom, we have only been together for three days! I like him a lot, but I rushed into it. I guess after seeing Jess I was just so confused and I just wanted to be held." Rory said.

"Hold on. You saw Jess!" Lorelai was shocked by the new developments.

"Yes, we ran into him at a bookstore. He was angry at me, and I was upset. I spent most of the night talking to Logan about everything…Dean, Jess, Dean again, and he did not judge me and he was not disappointed, he just listened. I felt so close to him that I was convinced that sleeping with him would be okay. I felt more for him than I think I ever felt for both Dean and Jess combined." Rory said, confusing herself even further.

"Honey, you can't change what you did, but you should be talking to Logan about it. I am a little disappointed that you did it, but I am glad that you realize you made a mistake and you want to change it. Don't let this get in between you two, I think you will be good for each other." Lorelai tried helping.

"I don't know if I will be able to look at him! I am so ashamed of myself. I am not like this mom. You know me. I have only ever been with Dean, and I was with him for two years." Rory said, continuing to punish herself.

"Rory, stop beating yourself up over this. I don't even blame you, I met Logan. Just sit down and talk to him about all of this. I am not mad at you. I love you so much, and I have made my fair share of mistakes too." Lorelai said, wanting to go to her daughter and hug her.

"Okay mom. Thanks for listening. I will call you tomorrow." Rory said, hanging up the phone.

With that she heard a knock on the door. "Rory, are you okay?" Logan said gently.

"Umm, sniff yeah, I think I will be okay." She said, climbing to her feet and going to the door.

Logan took one look at her tear streaked face and embraced her in a hug. "Are you okay Ace?" Logan asked.

"No!" Rory said, letting the tears fall again.

"What happened? What can I do?" Logan asked intently.

"I…umm…Logan…we need to talk." Rory said finally.

"Sure, anything." Logan said, walking her back over to the couch.

Logan held her hand as she started talking. "Logan, I care about you so much. I just think that maybe we rushed into things way too fast." Rory said, avoiding making eye contact with him.

Logan reached over and tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear and raised her chin so their eyes met. "Rory, I was afraid that we were too. I just wanted to be with you so much, that I did not care about the timing of it all. I have never felt this way about anybody before. In the short period of time that I have known you, you have pushed me far beyond anyone else. I am sorry that you think we took things too fast, and if I could change things, I would take it back in a second, but the truth is that we can't. I don't regret it, but I do regret that you wish it had not happened." Logan said tearing up himself.

"We are so pathetic!" Rory said with a little laugh.

"Do you want to start over?" Logan asked hopefully. "I don't want this to come in between you and me."

"I don't either. I really care about you, I just wished we had waited. I mean…three days!" Rory said.

"Yeah, I know." Logan said. "How about you go back to sleep in my old room and I will go to my parents and we can see how things look in the morning?" Logan suggested.

"Okay. Thanks Logan." She said slowly getting up off the couch. Logan gave her one last hug before he left to go back to his own room.

As Logan drifted off to sleep he could not help but shed a few tears. He was afraid that he let his attraction to Rory ruin one of the best things he had going in his life. He punched his pillow in frustration. He knew that Rory had been extremely emotional that night, and her confusion after seeing Jess had clouded her better judgment, but it was far too late.

Similar thoughts befuddled Rory. She hoped that their relationship would be left on fragile grounds now. She was afraid that because she made the decision to sleep with Logan nothing would return back to normal. She had no idea what was to come.

The soft sunlight woke Rory the next morning. She blinked through the bright light and examined the clock waiting for her eyes to adjust to the morning. 11:00am. She could not believe that she had slept so late. She sighed and threw her legs over the side of her bed. She slowly made her way to the bathroom to wash up before facing Logan. She glanced at herself in the mirror. Her eyes resembled raccoon's with dark circles from the previous day's makeup. She rinsed her face off and made her way to find Logan.

She was greeted by the strong scent of coffee and pankcakes, two of her favorite smells.

Logan saw her making her way to the kitchen, and he greeted her with a small kiss and told her he had a surprise.

"What could be better than breakfast and coffee?" Rory asked, nearly forgetting about the night before.

"Well, you will have to taste breakfast." Logan said, not wanting to give it all away.

Rory looked confused, but nodded her head. She looked at the nearly perfect pancake in front of her and cut off a section and took a bite. She let the taste consume her mouth. Something about the pancakes was hard to place, it was so familiar. "These are delicious." Rory said.

"I figured you would like them." Logan said with a smile. "Here, have some coffee." Logan said, pushing a nearly overflowing mug towards her.

"Wow, you know me too well." Rory said, raising the mug to her lips. She closed her eyes with extascy as the warm liquid made its way through her. There was no way of confusing the taste of this coffee. "How did you get it?" She asked excitedly.

"I have my connections" Logan said with an air of mysteriousness.

"Please tell me you did not drive all the way to Stars Hallow just to get me breakfast from Luke's!" Rory said grinning from ear to ear.

"No, I did not have to go all the way there. Let's just say that your friend Lane is a great help." Logan said smiling.

"You are the greatest!" Rory said, giving him another kiss. She could not believe that he had went through so much trouble for her.

"I have to make a quick phone call." Rory said, walking back to her room after finishing the delicious breakfast.

"Take your time, I did not plan on us going to the museum until 3pm anyway." Logan said.

Again Rory dialed her Mother's number. Lorelai had been waiting for this call since the night before.

"RORY, what is going on? How are you?" Lorelai said.

"Mom, things are great. After I hung up from you I talked to Logan. He said he was worried that things had gone too fast as well, and he was sorry about taking it so fast. He was so understanding, I think he almost cried!" Rory said.

"He cried! Rory, that is darling. I think this one is a keeper!" Lorelai said.

"That is not the best part. This morning when I woke up he had breakfast waiting for me." Rory started.

"Nice, he knows the way to your heart is through food." Lorelai said.

"It gets better Mom, it was from Luke's!" Rory finished.

"LUKE'S? How did he get it?" She asked.

"He mentioned something about Lane helping him, but he was extremely vague about it all." Rory said.

"Wow, this guy is amazing. If I were not dating Luke I think I would make the move on him!" Lorelai said laughing. "So I take it things are going to be okay now?"

"We have not really talked about it, but I really hope so. I just want to go back to how things were before today. I don't want there to be any awkwardness between the two of us." Rory said.

"Well, it looks like he is really trying."

"I know. I have a feeling that things will be okay." Rory said.

"I am very releaved. I don't think I ever got back to sleep after you hung up." Lorelai said.

"I am sorry I called so late Mom, I just really needed you."

"Hey kid, that is what I am here for." Her mom said.

"Okay, well I should get going. I love you mom." Rory said.

"I love you too Rory." Lorelai said hanging up.

Rory walked back to the kitchen with a smile on her face. Logan saw her grinning and spoke first. "So are we okay?"

"We are more than okay." Rory said grabbing him for a kiss. She deepened the kiss, running her fingers through his hair as she slipped her tongue into his mouth. Logan was the first to step back gasping for air. "I will start bringing you Luke's for breakfast from now on if that is the reaction it is going to get." He said smiling.

"You never cease to amaze me Huntzberger." She said smiling.

"And you Gilmore." Logan said returning her grin. "I picked something up for you while I was out."

"How long have you been up Logan?" Rory asked in shock.

"I could not really sleep last night." Logan said, shifting his eyes. He did not want to talk about what had happened, he just wanted to move things forward.

"Oh okay." Rory said, not wanting to push it herself.

"It is on the couch." Logan said pointing to her gift.

Rory made her way to the living room to inspect this gift. She noticed a large box sitting on the couch and assumed that this had to be what he was talking about. She looked up to him with a confused expression altering her beautiful features. "Go ahead." Logan said.

Rory opened the box revealing a beautiful ball gown. The dress was an amazing shade of blue highlighted with a pearly white edging. The sleeveless gown was one of the most exquisite dress she had ever seen.

"Why Logan, what do you have planned?" She asked wide eyed.

"Be patient Rory, you will see…"


	14. The Event

Chapter 13

The Event

"Hey Ace?" Logan shouted to Rory through the bathroom where she was showering.

"Yeah Logan?" Rory yelled back, rinsing the shampoo out of her hair.

"I have to take care of some stuff before we go out tonight, do you think you will be okay if I leave for a while?" Logan asked, worried that she would be mad.

"Oh no, that is totally fine, I actually wanted to stop by a few of the places that I saw yesterday." Rory said, actually a little relieved to be getting some time alone to put her thoughts together.

"Great. I should only be gone for about three hours. I will call you when I get back if you are not here. I left a key for the apartment on the table and a map of the area. I also left you some mace…" Logan trailed off.

"Mace!" Rory shouted. "I think I will be okay Logan, I don't think that mace is really necessary." Rory said laughing.

"Rory, this is not the safest place to be. We are not in Stars Hallow anymore Toto." Logan said.

"Logan, I am not stupid. I know what goes on here. It is the middle of the day, besides, I read an entire book about how to defend myself, and I think I will be okay." Rory argued.

"I totally believe you, but I would feel a lot better if you just took the mace with you when you go out today." Logan shouted back.

"Fine Logan, to make you happy I will take the mace with me."

"Thank you." Logan said satisfied.

"Where are you going anyway?" Rory asked, realizing he left it all a mystery.

"Oh, I…umm…just have to take care of some stuff for later. It is kind of part of the surprise." Logan said awkwardly.

"Oh, okay. Well please note that I don't really like surprises!" Rory shouted, turning off the shower.

"Well, I hope you will like this one." Logan said. "By Rory."

"By Logan, I'll miss you!" Rory said sweetly.

"Ha, me too Ace."

Rory dressed quickly and dried her hair, excited to explore the city on her own. She thoroughly enjoyed spending the time with Logan, but she wanted to go to a number of bookstores and she knew that Logan would not enjoy it as much as she did. She dressed in a pair of boot-cut jeans and a red sweater and her black Docs and threw her winter coat on and ran down the stars and out the door. She yelled good-bye to the doorman and walked into a bright, chilly afternoon.

Rory decided to head west from the apartment. She remembered seeing an interesting looking bookstore on the corner when they had arrived, and she had been anxious to check it out. Rory smiled as she entered the store called "Book Ends" and began slowly searching through the shelves. She saw a couple interesting looking titles, but the selection was nothing like the store that Logan had brought her to. She wanted to go back to the other bookstore, but she was not completely sure what way she had to go to get there, and she was still a little nervous about running into Jess again.

Rory left the store and continued west not really sure what she was looking for. She thought she recognized her surroundings, but she was not completely sure, New York had a tendency to confuse her.

Rory glanced up the street and saw what appeared to be a record store. It all looked so very familiar to her, but she could not be sure. She kept walking until she stood in front of the window to the store. She could not find the name of the record store, but from the looks of the outside was that it specialized in punk. Then it dawned on her…the record store…Jess.

"Damn." Rory said out loud after realizing where she was. In a city of thousands, how could everything be a reminder of her relationship with Jess? She forced herself to enter the store. If she wanted to remember New York for anyone, it would be Logan, not Jess. She was determined to get him off her mind, no matter what she had to face.

Jess looked up from his perch at the cash register when he heard the bell ring, indicating a customer had entered the store. He put down his novel to greet the customer, something he did not mind doing since the majority of visitors were cool and laid back, much like him. He had been working at the record store for the past year, although it did not pay much, he was able to get almost any CDs he wanted, and his boss was totally cool with him reading for his classes while he worked. He was currently enrolled at a local community college, and he spent the majority of his time either at his night classes, at work, or studying at his crappy apartment.

"Oh geese." Jess said as his eyes settled on Rory. "Would you quit following me?"

"Jess." Rory said, completely shocked. She could not help but notice the look of contempt that passed over his features at the sight of her.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Jess shouted.

"I am sorry, I will leave. I did not know that you worked here." Rory said, not able to tear her eyes away from him. She could not help but noticed that he looked good. His hair was longer than it ever was when they were together, but he looked more put together.

Similar thoughts were running through Jess's mind. He was hoping that the next time he would see Rory she would have miraculously gained 100 pounds and lost all of her teeth, but she looked the same, maybe even more beautiful.

"Yeah, maybe you should. I am sure your boyfriend does not want you too far out of his sight." Jess said bitterly.

"Shut up Jess, you don't know anything." Rory shouted. She could not believe that she ran into him twice in under 24 hours. This is not how she wanted her vacation with Logan to go. She was with Logan now, but all she could think about was Jess. Maybe New York was not the best place to go on vacation.

Rory was torn between going up to Jess and smacking him and running out of the store and never looking back.

"Hey Jess, I am sorry I'm late." A huge man in all leather said as he walked in behind Rory.

"No problem Buck, I don't have class today anyway." Jess said to the man.

Class? Rory thought. Was Jess back in school? And why was Jess acting so kind to this man? He was never tolerant of anyone, so why was this "Buck" so special?

"Cool man. Well, let me go punch in and you can take off." He said to Jess as he walked to the backroom.

Jess turned back to Rory. "Well, don't let me stop you from shopping, I am leaving." He said to her, once again angry.

"Jess, wait." Rory said as he started walking towards the door.

He abruptly turned back to her. "What?" He shouted.

Rory blinked at him in response to his anger. "I think we should talk." Rory said looking towards the ground.

"Talk? Are you kidding me? You want to talk? What the hell do you have to say Rory?" Jess yelled.

"Jess, I have not seen you in a year and a half…" Rory started.

"Yeah, since I asked you to go to New York with me. You obviously wanted to go to New York, but I guess I was not the guy to go with." He responded gruffly.

"Jess, stop saying that." Rory said, blinking back the tears that were threatening to fall.

Jess could see that she was trying hard not to cry in front of him, and he had to admit that he was enjoying this. "You know what Rory, I don't even care anymore. I spent the last year tearing myself up over you. I thought that you never loved me, I thought that you regretted ever being with me, I thought that I was never good enough for you…but now I know, I know that you were only with me for the thrill." He spat it out at her.

"Can we please not talk about this here?" Rory said, now not bothering to hold back her tears.

"Where do you want to go Rory? Back to 2002?"

"No, I don't want to go back, I just want to get out of here!" Rory shouted in anger.

"Fine. My apartment is actually above this place, I guess we can go upstairs for a bit." He said hesitantly.

Rory followed Jess up the stairs to his apartment. It was not the nicest of living conditions, but it worked. The small apartment housed a bed, a microwave and a small bathroom. Other than that, it was about completely bare aside from the mass quantities of books and CDs he had acquired throughout his short life. Rory tentatively sat on down on his bed. She took a deep breath and chose her words carefully.

"Look Jess, I know that you probably hate me right now, but I can't help but think this is fate. I came to New York yesterday and I have already seen you twice…" She started.

"Whatever." Jess said, looking out the window. He avoided looking at her throughout her entire speech.

"Jess, can we just be civil for a minute?" Rory yelled.

"What do you want Rory? I don't want you here, I don't want to talk to you, I have absolutely nothing to say!" He yelled back.

"Damn it Jess! Why are you treating me like I am the bad guy?"

"You turned me down, you rejected me! How else am I supposed to be treating you?"

"Quit being the martyr! You are just as much to blame for this! You left me twice Jess, what was I supposed to say to you?" Rory shouted.

"YES! You were supposed to say yes and go with me! I put myself out there for you, and you said no. I have spent every day since then replaying that day in my head. Every day I rethought abut the way things played out, and every day I learned to hate you more and more."

"YOU! YOU! What about me? I hear nothing from you for a year and then all of a sudden you show up at my dorm asking me to run away with you? I go to Yale now Jess, I am working towards something, and you wanted me to throw my life away just to be with you!"

"Well, I am glad you would think of it as throwing your life away! Besides, that was not my intention at all. There are hundreds of amazing schools in New York, as you probably know Columbia is renowned for its journalism program. We could have made it work Rory. I loved you, we could have made it work."

"Jess, stop it, it would have never worked. We both know it. You treated me poorly, you took advantage of me, and you hurt me. I could never trust you enough to throw everything I had worked for away to be with you in New York."

"Okay, I get it. You would have wasted your life if you had chosen to be with me, so why are you here? What else could you possibly have to say?"

"I don't know. Nothing I guess…I just don't want you to go on hating me."

"Ha, well sorry Rory, you can't go on living with everyone loving you." Jess said.

"Right, well I guess I should get going. I am glad that you are back in school. Good luck with everything." Rory said walking towards the door, holding back the tears that were threatening to emerge.

"Don't think it had anything to do with you." He said bitterly.

"Don't worry, I never did."

"Who is the guy anyway?" Jess could not help but ask.

"His name is Logan. I met him at Yale." Rory said.

"Right, Yale. Well I hope you guys live happily ever after with your 2.3 children, white picket fence and your lab." Jess yelled to her as she left the apartment.

Rory started bawling as soon as heard the door slam behind her. She quickly exited the record store and ran the last few blocks back to the apartment. She heard the doorman ask her if she was okay, but she ignored him and kept on running to the elevators. As soon as she entered the confines of the apartment she sagged on the couch and called her mother.

"Mom." Rory croaked through her tears.

"Rory? What is going on? I thought you guys worked everything out? Do you want me to go get you?" Lorelai said anxiously.

"No mom, it is not Logan. He is not even here." Rory said.

"Oh, well, are you hurt then? Did you break your arm again? What is going on?" Lorelai said on the verge of hysteria.

"I ran into Jess again."

"Oh. I am sorry kid. What happened?"

"I went into this record store. It was actually the one that I went to with him the day of your graduation. Well, it turns out that he works there now. It was horrible mom. He totally hates me."

"Rory, snap out of it! Need I remind you what he did to you? Please, please, please forget about him! He is doing nothing but ruining things between you and Logan. I know it sucks running into past loves, believe me, I know, but you have to move on Rory. It has been two years! Logan is a good guy, and he obviously cares a lot about you."

"I am not going to end things with Logan mom. I just don't know what to do about this Jess thing. Jess has never been that great to me, but I have never seen him this way. He was so mean." Rory said tearing up again.

"Maybe you should come home." Lorelai responded. "I don't think you are having a good time in New York, it may be best if you left."

"I don't want to leave. I have not even invested any effort into Logan, I feel terrible that he brought me here, and I have been nothing but an emotional wreak."

"Okay. But if you change your mind, I will be here to come get you."

"Thanks mom." Rory said hanging up.

"Bye Rory, I love you, and cheer up, this is a once in a lifetime experience." Lorelai said hanging up.

Rory sighed as she rose from the couch. She wanted to wash her tear-streaked face before Logan returned.

As soon as she put down her washcloth, she heard Logan enter the apartment.

"Hey Ace, are you here?" He shouted, hoping she was back. He was excited to tell her about what he had planned for the evening.

"Hey Logan, I am here. I will be out in a minute." Rory responded. She glanced at herself in the mirror, took a deep breath and went to find him. She pushed Jess out of her mind and put on a realistic smile as she entered the living room.

As soon as Logan saw her enter he went over to her and embraced her in a hug. "It's so good to see you." He said into her hair.

"You have only been gone for a few hours!" Rory said laughing.

"Yes I know, but I was afraid that something could have happened to you while you were alone, I just had a bad feeling about leaving you." He said in all seriousness.

"Oh stop it." Rory said, swatting at his chest. "I am fine! I swear you worry about me more than my own mother!"

"I don't think that is possible. Anyway, did you have a good time? Not too good I hope."

"Oh yeah, I went to a bookstore down the street and bought two books and then I went to a record store, that's about it." She said, choosing to leave out the whole Jess part.

"Good, I am glad. Well, if you want to go get ready, I think it is about time for me to let you in on what is going on tonight." Logan said with a gleam in his eye.

"I can hardly wait." Rory said, reaching up to kiss him. He obliged by gently sucking on her bottom lip before watching her depart to his room. Logan could not help but smile to himself. He never thought he would want to become a one-woman man, but that was before he met Rory, now he could not imagine going back to his old ways.

Logan went into his own room and took a quick shower and dressed himself in the tux he had to run home to get. He placed the tickets for tonight in one pocket and the blue velvet box in the other. He took a deep breath trying to settle his nerves. He did not know why his nerves were getting the better of him, he never got flustered around women.

Logan sighed as he walked out of his room, stopping in his tracks as his eyes landed on a stunning Rory.

"You look amazing Ace." Logan said, silently praising himself for his eye for dresses.

"Why thank you good sir. I do hope you don't view me as your own life size Barbie, because I think you are enjoying dressing me way too much." She laughed.

"Well, when I have such a beautiful specimen to work with I can't help but adorn you in pretty clothes." Logan said, silently taking in every inch of her delicate frame.

"So where are we headed?" Rory asked, excited to see what he had planned.

"In due time Ace, in due time." He smiled at her.

"Aw come on Logan! When are you planning on letting me in on it?"

"You will see Rory, now calm down please. We have to be there in a half an hour anyway. I think I forgot to tell you how amazing you look this evening Ace." Logan said with a smile.

"Don't think compliments are going to get you out of telling me where we are going." Rory said, pointing at him accusingly.

"Ha, you are too smart for your own good. I think that you may be missing something though." He said looking her up and down.

"Well that is too bad, because I don't think anything else can fit in here." Rory said glancing down at her snug fitting strapless ball gown.

"I was thinking maybe something right here." Logan said kissing her softly around her neck.

"Oh, well I did not really pack any jewelry." Rory said through the chills running through her body from his kisses.

"Don't worry, I have you covered." Logan said, reaching into his pocket. He silently extracted the velvet box and handed it to her.

Rory glanced at him with questioning eyes as she opened the box. A beautiful blue sapphire necklace stared back up at her. She could not control the squeal that escaped from her lips as she stared at the necklace. "I can't accept this Logan, it is too much." Rory said, not knowing what she was saying.

"Don't be silly Rory. I got it for you, it is a gift. Besides, your outfit is not complete without it."

"Well…if you insist." Rory said, without much hesitation.

Logan helped Rory latch the necklace, allowing his fingers to trial over the sensitive skin on her neck.

"If you keep this up I don't think we will be going out tonight." Rory said with a little laugh.

"Well, we better get going before we start something that we wont have time to finish." Logan said, lacing his fingers through hers. "Prepare yourself for a night you wont forget Ace."

"It already is Logan."

Sorry about the lack of updates, I have been super busy with my last semester of college, I hope to update on Monday though! Please Review!


	15. The Party

Chapter 15

The Party

Logan silently took Rory by the hand and led her downstairs. He allowed the doorman to hold open the door revealing their ride. Of course Logan had arranged for a limo to take them to the party that he was desperately trying to keep secret from Rory.

Again, Logan silently glanced over at Rory. He could not believe how lucky he was to be dating someone like her. She looked amazing in the dress he had picked out for her. The blue of the dress made her eyes sparkle and her hair shine. The sapphire necklace shone bright against her pale skin. He had searched all day for the perfect necklace; he was pleasantly surprised by the result. The large sapphire necklace was surrounded by diamonds and strung on a platinum chain. He had spent quite a bit on it, and he did not want Rory to find out that it had cost him over 5,000 for the piece of jewelry, but he knew she was worth it. He had never adorned his girlfriends in such lavish gifts, but for some reason he wanted nothing more than to give Rory the world.

Rory nervously tugged at the piece of jewelry dangling from her neck. She knew that Logan had spent way too much money on it, but she did not want to hurt him by rejecting the gift. This was not to say that she was unhappy to accept it, she just felt awkward accepting something so expensive. She was anxiously awaiting the surprise outing of the night. She knew that whatever he had planned had to be important because Logan too seemed nervous.

Logan opened the mini fridge in the limo and extracted a bottle of campaign. He skillfully poured two glasses and handed one of the flutes to Rory. She accepted the offering grateful to have something to keep her hands busy while waiting to arrive at their final destination.

"You seem a little nervous Ace." Logan grinned at her with his trademark smile.

Rory giggled slightly, trying to subdue the butterflies in her stomach. "I am just nervous to see what you have planned." Rory said, not wanting reveal the actual source of her apprehension, Jess. As open as she was with Logan the night before, she could not bring herself to tell him about the second encounter with her ex.

"Well, there is nothing to worry about Ace, I am sure you will enjoy the evening." Logan said smiling at her.

Rory looked out the window as they slowed down and pulled to the curb. She glanced around and noticed a line of limos that extended up the street. She followed the lineup to what she assumed to be their final destination.

"Are we going to the Met?" Rory asked, a little shocked that she was so dressed up to be going to a museum, but then again, it appeared as though some sort of party was taking place within the museum.

"Actually, we are. I know that you wanted to go, and my dad received tickets to a party that is being thrown there, so I thought we could see the Met while attending a red carpet event." Logan said. "If you want to come back and see it again without all the commotion, I would be happy to go again tomorrow."

"What kind of party is this?" Rory asked, noticing flashing cameras ahead of the limo.

"Well, it is actually more of a fundraiser. They are raising money for breast cancer, and they only invited the 'A-list.' My dad gets invited to all of these things because they want as much media attention as they can get." Logan explained.

"So by 'A-list' you mean who exactly?" Rory said, excited to hear what was coming.

"Well, it means that a bunch of celebrities, authors, and musicians will be here. There will also be a concert by Lenny Kravitz."

"Are you kidding me?" Rory said wide eyed.

"Ha, no actually. I thought it could be a fun night." Logan said.

"Yeah, I think it will be okay." Rory said playing down her excitement. In reality she wanted to get on the phone and call her mom and tell her what she was missing, but she was trying to play it cool, she had a lot of ground to make up since the whole emotional breakdown of the night before.

Their limo pulled up to the red carpet and Logan stepped out first and extended his hand towards Rory to help her out of the car. Her eyes resembled those of a deer in headlights as she gazed around at the clad of screaming paparazzi.

"I am sure they are all disappointed that it is only us." Rory said to Logan as she exited the limo.

"LOGAN HUNTZBERGER! OVER HERE! WHO ARE YOU WITH?" Rory heard a camera clad photographer ask.

"How does she know who you are?" Rory asked him skeptically.

"Lest you forget Ace, my father is a big-wig in the newspaper industry, I have to go to hundreds of these things. After a while I sort of formed a bond with a couple of the photogs, that one calling for me works for People, my dad hates that magazine, so I quickly learned to get on their good side just to anger him." Logan said laughing.

"Do they actually photograph you?" Rory asked confused as to why he would make the cut over the stunningly beautiful Kate Hudson who just walked up the carpet.

"No, not usually. On occasion I have been asked to pose with one of the more important people. My photographer friends think it is funny to get me in magazines and irritate my father, I would have to agree with them."

"Does that happen often?" Rory was shocked at this new development.

"Not at all. I think I have only graced the pages of People once or twice, but that is not to say that they don't try."

"Logan, come over here and pose with your friend. I want a shot of you two." The People photographer yelled.

"Hey Lynn, can you send me a copy of the picture?" Logan asked the woman.

"Of course Logan. Who might you be?" The woman asked Rory.

"Oh I am Rory Gilmore, I am dating Logan." Rory said, embarrassed by the line of questioning directed at her.

"I thought you were a model. I was almost positive I have seen you before." Lynn said to Rory.

"Ha, yeah, me a model. Why does Logan bring many of them here?" Rory asked, glancing at Logan accusingly.

"Hardly. I don't even think I have seen the same girl with him twice. And those he does bring are usually blonde bimbos. I think this is by far the deepest conversation I have ever had with one of his dates. Well anyway, it was nice meeting you Rory Gilmore, but I have to get back to work. I think Orlando just showed up."

"Orlando? As in Orlando Bloom?" Rory squealed.

"I only assume so. He has a tendency to show up to these things with that Blue Crush girl. I have never actually talked to him." Logan said.

"Oh, well I heard that he and Kate broke up." Rory said, admitting to her knowledge of Orlando.

"Keeping track of his social life are we Ace? Just in case things between you and I don't work out?" Logan laughed.

"Oh no, not at all…" Rory said glancing away from his joking eyes. "I just heard it the other day. Yeah, Lane has a crush on him." Rory said, not wanting to tell Logan the truth of the matter, that she had a big crush on him. Ever since Dean made her watch The Lord of the Rings incessantly, she noticed the lovely blonde Alf. Rory glanced back down the carpet, and sure enough, strutting his way towards the reporters was one Orlando Bloom. Rory could not take his eyes off his lovely features. He was one pretty guy. His suit only enhanced his good looks, making him drool worthy.

"Right Gilmore, lets go before the janitors have to mop up the puddle forming around you." Logan said, laughing at her poor attempts to cover her crush. "I hope I am not that obvious in front of my crush." Logan said.

"Who is your Hollywood crush?" Rory asked, wanting to get back at him for making fun of her Orlando fetish.

"Who said anything about Hollywood?" Logan said grinning at Rory, sending chills down her spine.

"Anyway, come on, lets get a table before all of these Hollywood types take them all." Logan said, pulling her inside the Met.

Rory looked around in awe as she entered the museum. The entire foyer was done up in pink streamers and balloons. The identifiable pink ribbon was present everywhere, and as they entered they were each given their own in a form of a lapel pin to wear.

"Wow, this is beautiful." Rory said out loud.

"It is the biggest event that the Breast Cancer Fund puts on. My dad gives them thousands of dollars annually, so if he is not invited because of his power in the newspaper business he is invited by the fund itself." Logan said, trailing off.

Rory could not help but notice a subtle change in his features with the last comment. She reached over and took a hold of his hand. "Are you okay?" She asked him, confused with his saddened demeanor.

"Oh yeah. It's just that my Grandma died from Breast Cancer when I was little. That is why my dad gives so much to its research. This all hits really close to home." He said to her.

"I am so sorry Logan. I never knew that." Rory said, giving him a small hug.

"It's okay. I don't like to talk about it, I would not expect you to know." Logan said, briefly shedding his unflappable exterior. "Let's not let that ruin the mood." Logan said, leading her over to an open table.

As they took their seats, Rory looked around the room noting the eclectic group. She recognized a few of the people present. She saw David Letterman, Oprah, Mandy Moore, Michael Jordan, and was that Ozzy? There were also the wealthy benefactors like Donald Trump and Bill Gates. She assumed that the majority of the unrecognizable guests were victims of breast cancer or the families of those deceased. She sat in complete awe as she took in her surroundings. She could not believe that Logan was sharing this with her. This was the type of thing that you read about in the newspapers, but not anything that you actually attend.

After a short speech given by the president of the organization, the five course meal was served. Logan and Rory shared their table with a man named James and his wife Elizabeth. Elizabeth had been diagnosed with breast cancer five years earlier and she had been in remission for going on three years. Rory was amazed by her story. Her family and community came together to support Elizabeth and her husband as they went through the devastating effects of chemotherapy. Once Elizabeth went into remission she decided to dedicate her life to help find a cure. Together James and Elizabeth raised over two million dollars in which they donated to the Breast Cancer Fund.

Sitting with Elizabeth and James made Rory's problems feel petty in comparison. She knew that all the drama that currently surrounded her life was trivial when considering the totality of life. Things happened for a reason, and everyone had exes that they would have to face at one point or another, Rory was no different. The important part was that she was now with Logan, and she was determined not to let her past relationships hinder their future.

With that finally decided, Rory felt a weight lift from her. She was finally at ease, and she knew that she could begin enjoying their trip to New York. After all, Rory was with an amazing guy in an amazing city, what was there to not enjoy?

After dinner Logan excused himself to get their drinks refilled. Once he returned he leaned over to speak to Rory. "Care for a dance?" He asked, his breath tingling her ear.

"I would love to." Rory said sliding off her chair and into his arms.

"I have to say Ace, you are the most beautiful woman here tonight." Logan said to her as they danced.

"You are just saying that because you have to go home with me." Rory kidded.

"Nonsense, none of these girls hold a candle to you."

"Not even Kate Hudson?" Rory asked.

"Not even her." He replied.

"Well, I have to say, I do believe I am the luckiest girl here." Rory said to him. "As cute as Orlando is, and as sexy as his accent is, he is no Logan Huntzberger." Rory said to him.

"I knew that you had a crush on him!" Logan said laughing.

"Yes, you caught me. Do you think he would have the next dance with me?" Rory said laughing.

"I think he would be stupid not to." Logan replied.

"For some reason, it is not as appealing as it once was. I would rather dance with you. Besides, you don't make fun of my lack of dancing skills, I think he would probably sue me if I stepped on his delicate fairy feet." Rory said laughing.

"I am happy as long as I don't have to share you." Logan said as he stopped dancing and led Rory off the dance floor.

"Where are we going?" Rory asked.

"I thought it would be fun if we checked out the museum when there was nobody here to distract us." Logan said.

"Can we do that?" Rory wondered out loud.

"Why not? Who is going to stop us?"

"Maybe the guards that are standing at every exit." Rory replied laughing.

"Nonsense Rory, we can do whatever we want." Logan said looking into her eyes. The simplicity of the statement seemed to have double meanings for Rory, and she was eager to see what the future would hold for them.


	16. The Romance

Sorry about the lack of updates…this whole college thing really puts a dent in my spare time…also, I thought I would add the whole Orlando/Kate breakup thing in there, because for all of you Logan fans, you probably know that Matt and Kate had a thing before Orlando stepped in…I just thought it would be fun.

Chapter 16

The Romance

Logan glanced around the spacious party hall quickly and noted the position of each guard. Once he was sure they would not be spotted, he grabbed Rory's hand and quickly led her to the exhibits.

"I feel like such a rebel." Rory whispered to him.

"Only you would think it rebellious to sneak into a museum." Logan laughed.

"Well, it is rebellious when the exhibits are roped off and there are guards all around." Rory said defensively.

"Well, however you get your kicks." Logan said with a wicked grin.

"Hey Logan, before I forget. I just wanted to thank you for everything." Rory said looking at him seriously.

"What did I do?" Logan asked skeptically.

"You were just…you. Thank you for bringing me here, for giving me the necklace, the dress…thank you for being so understanding with everything. I know I have not been the greatest company lately, but I think everything should be back on track now." Rory said, averting her eyes from his gaze.

Logan tilted her head up so she was forced to look into the warm depths of his brown eyes. "Rory, I waited for this for months, a few days is not going to hurt anything. What we have is special; I know that a few minor interruptions won't change that." Logan said.

"Okay…good. I was just…worried. I guess I thought you may get jealous, or maybe misinterpret my confusion as me not wanting to be with you." Rory tried to explain.

"Well you do want to be with me right?" Logan questioned.

"Of course! I have just never been too good with the whole revealing my feelings step. I do want to make it obvious that I care about you a lot, and running into my ex won't change that. I want to be with you, in every sense of the word, but I don't want to rush things. If things between us are going to work out, then they will be okay with us waiting longer until we…you know…again." Rory said awkwardly.

"Rory, please stop worrying. I know that you thought you could not trust me in the beginning. I know I have a reputation to outlive, and I know that at first glance I don't appear to be boyfriend material, but you make me want to be a different guy. I saw what Dean had with you, and I want to have that too."

"You already have what Dean had." Rory said confused.

"Not totally though. You still act guarded around me. It's like you are waiting for me to drop the ball." Logan said, his dark eyes even darker in the dim lights of the museum.

"I am not expecting you to drop anything." Rory said exasperated. "I am just trying to get back into things. I have not had to learn how a guy ticks in years. I have only had two boyfriends, and the last one I have known since I was 16. If I appear guarded it is because I am still trying to take everything in. I really hope you don't think that I have not been who I was with Dean, or who I was before we started dating…" Rory trailed off.

Logan gently placed his fingers on her lips to silence her. "Rory, relationships take time, and work…why do you think I went so long drifting from one girl to the next? I want to take the time and invest the energy into us. If I did not want that, then I never would have pinned you." Logan said grinning.

Rory could not help but return his grin as she placed a delicate kiss on his lips. She felt the warmth that his kiss provided spread throughout her body. However, she could not help but think about his words. Was she guarded around him? Did she not open herself up to him completely? She thought for sure she had, but then again, talking only makes up part of any communication. She pushed these thoughts aside as she felt Logan deepen their kiss. All she wanted to focus on at this moment was Logan's lips on hers…and his tongue in her mouth…and his hands caressing the soft flesh of her neck. She felt a chill run through her body.

"Are you okay?" Logan asked, stepping back after feeling her shudder.

Rory slowly opened her eyes and allowed a slow smile to spread over her face. "I have never been better."

"Right, well, now that we have that taken care of…shall we?" Logan asked offering Rory his arm.

Rory linked her arm through his and she let him lead her around the amazing museum. They stopped to examine the works of past American artists. Logan could not help but point out a striking piece by Ralph Earl entitled _Elijah Boardman_. "Look Rory, it is your great-grandfather." Logan said pointing at the painting. The man was posed in what appeared to be a library, with his arm resting on a book shelve.

"Ha ha ha." Rory scoffed at him. "You are hilarious. So it appears that this Elijah fellow likes his books and wanted to be painted with them." Rory said, defending this artist's work.

"Oh yes, and I believe he is not the only one." Logan said, glancing at her.

Rory flushed from his reference to the painting in her Grandfather's study. She had not wanted to be painted to begin with, but the addition of the book at least made the sitting tolerable.

"Anyway, let's keep going." Rory said, wanting to change the subject. "Ahh, see this one is more along your taste." She said pointing at a still life of cheese and whine.

"Have you ever thought about taking your act on the road?" Logan said, mocking her sense of humor.

"Actually, my mother and I will be performing at CBGB all week." Rory replied deadpan.

"Just what the world needs…two Gilmore girls...onstage."

Rory gave him a little shove as she began walking towards the next portrait.

Just as Rory and Logan stopped to examine a painting of a rather pale woman with a prominent nose, they heard someone yell to them.

"You guys can't be in the museum now." The guard yelled.

Rory looked at Logan with wide eyes. She was ready to bolt, but she waited to take Logan's lead.

Logan stepped away from Rory and walked over to the guard. She heard them exchange hushed whispers and noticed Logan reach in his pocket and extract something and give it to the guard. With that, the guard nodded at him and walked back to his post. 

"What just happened there." Rory asked confused by the new developments.

"Oh, Frank and I just reached an understanding." Logan simply stated as they continued walking through the museum.

"Let's check out what is going on in here." Logan said, leading Rory into an empty ballroom.

"Okay, I really don't think we should be in here." Rory said, looking around the elegant room.

"Rory, calm down, Frank is on our side." Logan said mysteriously.

"Did you plan this?" Rory asked confused.

"Maybe. I just thought we might want some time alone from the hysteria of the party." Logan said to Rory leaning towards her. "Shall we have this dance? I think they are playing our song."

"What are you talking about crazy boy, there is no music." Rory whispered, losing her assurance in this romantic setting.

"I have that covered too." Logan said, walking over to the back of the ballroom where a sound system was set up.

A slow melodic sound escaped from the speakers as Rory stood waiting for Logan to rejoin her. He held out his hand and they embraced for a dance as the lyrics filled the empty room.

The dawn is breaking  
A light shining through  
You're barely waking  
And I'm tangled up in you

I'm open, you're closed  
Where I follow, you'll go  
I worry I won't see your face  
Light up again

Even the best fall down sometimes  
Even the wrong words seem to rhyme  
Out of the doubt that fills my mind  
I somehow find  
You and I collide

"So I like Howie Day and all, but why exactly is this our song?" Rory whispered to him as they danced.

"Well, I thought the lyrics were suiting. I am in this Ace. You don't have to worry about me, I am sticking with this." Logan tried to explain.

"So you are not saying that you are the best and you fell for me?" Rory grinned at him.

"Well…there is that too." Logan smiled back.

"I don't think tonight could be any more perfect." Rory said to him.

"I would have to agree." Logan said as the song finished and they slowly separated.

"You know, I never planned on any of this happening." Logan said to her.

"What do you mean? I thought you planned this entire night out." Rory said confused.

"Yes, this night I planned, but falling for you was not something I expected." Logan said. "But I have to say, this is probably the best thing that has ever happened."

"Did you not want to fall for me? Or for anybody for that matter?" Rory asked him, not hurt, but rather curious.

"Not really. I mean I had this life going, this reputation, and I enjoyed most of it. I liked having the freedom of the girls I was with. I thought that I was happy living that way…but I never knew what I was missing." Logan said looking at her.

"So I think that in this moment of unblemished honesty, I think I should confess to you as well." Rory started. "I know that I started out a little skeptical, and I tried to push it out of my mind, especially after seeing Jess…I think that is why I chose to sleep with you, I wanted to prove to myself that I was over him. Don't get me wrong, I am over him, but I just don't want my past relationship to ruin our future. You don't have to worry about Jess or Dean or my feelings for you." Rory explained.

"And you Rory, don't have to worry about my past ways." Logan said. "That was my life before you. Since I met you I have felt different. I have had no interest in other girls, and I honestly like it that way."

"Good, so do I." Rory said laughing. "We spend too much time talking about the past." Rory said.

"I know, I just don't want you to think that I won't be faithful to you." Logan said.

"Logan, I am not worried. Let's just take things as they come. And right now, I am the happiest that I can ever remember…just standing here."

"Yes, this does feel pretty good" Logan said, hugging her tighter to him.

"Do you think maybe we should head back to the party? I want to get one last look at Orlando before he takes off…" Rory smiled.

"As long as you don't take off with him." Logan laughed.

"Nah, I think I have a keeper right here." She said, taking his hand and leading him back to the party.

When Rory and Logan entered the ballroom they noticed that the majority of the guests had already left. Neither Rory or Logan noticed that they had been alone in the museum for over three hours, and the concert had already finished.

"I think we missed Lenny." Rory said slightly disappointed.

"Wow, I did not even realize that we were gone that long." Logan said in return. "I am sorry we missed him, I know you were looking forward to it."

"Meh, I had a better time with you anyway." Rory said turning to him. "I think I am ready to get back to the apartment anyway."

"Okay, just give me a minute to call for the driver." Logan said, walking away to talk on his cell phone.

Rory took the few minutes of alone time to watch Logan from afar. She took in his stance and his sly smile. She felt her stomach fill with butterflies as he stood talking on the phone and waved to her. She knew she was falling for Logan fast. She knew she could trust him, she was just afraid that she could not trust herself around him.


	17. Second Tries

Chapter 17

Second Tries

Logan opened the limo door for Rory. She graciously stepped in and he slid up beside her. Rory yawned because of the lateness of the evening. Her head dropped to Logan's shoulder as her eyes became heavier and heavier. She slowly drifted asleep as the limo made its way back to the apartment.

Logan could not help but smile at the innocence of the moment. Rory's head sat against his chest and she slept soundlessly. His heart felt like it was fighting for every pump. He was afraid of what this all meant. He had only felt like this once before, and he ended up heartbroken. Logan gently ran his fingers through her hair as she lay sleeping. He whispered something to the effect of how beautiful she looked, and when she did not respond he continued.

"Rory." He whispered. "I think I am falling in love with you."

Rory stirred slightly. She had heard what he said. She froze thinking of her options.

She could pretend she was sleeping and not do anything.

She could say something back.

She could run as she had done in the past.

She chose to play it cool and pretend she was asleep.

Sure he did not outright say "I love you." But it was close enough. The implication was there. The reality of it was starting to sink in.

Logan could not believe how fast that he was falling for her. They had spent so much time fighting in the beginning that being together just worked. He spent months denying his feelings for her, and now that they were together, he did not want to continue this charade and play it cool as though he was not falling for her.

Rory was awoken as she felt the limo pull to a stop. She sleepily gazed up at Logan. "Are we back?" She asked him feeling herself drift back into her comatose-like state of slumber.

"Yeah, can you make it up?" He asked a once-again sleeping Rory.

Logan let out a small laugh as he gently picked her up and carried her to the building. The doorman held the door for the two making a comment about what a fun night the two must have had.

As Logan finally made it into the apartment with Rory he silently carried her to his old room. He placed her in the bed, fully clothed and was silently retreating back to his parent's room as he heard her speak.

"No, wait Logan." Rory said to him with her eyes still closed. "Stay with me." She said before falling back to sleep.

Logan shed his jacket and climbed into the bed with Rory. She rolled up next to him and rested her head on his chest. The simplicity of the act pulled at Logan's heart. He wrapped his arm around her and he too drifted off to sleep.

Rory slept soundly for the next hour or so. She woke up around 3am with a small smile on her face. She felt secure with Logan's arms around her. Her thoughts drifted back to the limo ride. She remembered him saying something to the affect of how he was falling in love with her. Her smile widened as she started drifting off to sleep again. Before she was completely out, she let out a sigh and whispered, "me too Logan, me too."

Logan had felt Rory stir in her sleep and was awakened by the subtle movement. He was on the brink of falling asleep when he heard Rory whisper to him.

He was wide awake after that. His eyes popped open and he looked down to the once-again sleeping Rory. He knew what the "me too" had been in reference to. He was sure that she had not heard his confession, or she was ignoring it, so he was left dumbfounded when she too revealed her feelings. His mind continued to race as he allowed himself to fall back to sleep. He was sure the wide smile he was unable to eliminate would stay with him through the night.

-

Rory woke around 11 the next morning. She let out a silent yawn as she sat up in bed. She stretched her arms and came in contact with an empty bed. Confused she looked around for signs of Logan. His tux jacket was gone, his shoes were removed and his side of the bed was empty. Confused, Rory got out of bed and went in search of her man. Her bare feet padded into the living room where she saw a fresh-faced Logan. He sat on the couch reading the paper with a cup of coffee at his side and his glasses perched on his nose.

"Aww, don't you look adorable." Rory said smiling at him.

Logan moved the paper to the side to peek at Rory. He smiled at her disheveled appearance. She stood in front of him in the wrinkled ball gown of the night before with makeup smeared on her face and matted hair.

"You too Ace." Logan said with a smile.

Rory looked down at her dress and smiled. "I guess I was too tired to change last night." Rory said.

"Yes, or wash your face." Logan offered.

Rory put her hands up to her face as a look of horror spread across her pretty features. She rushed over to the mirror hanging by the fireplace and examined what was left of her makeup. Her mascara had managed to make raccoon-like smudges around her eyes, and her lipstick was all over her face, giving her clown-like features.

"I will be back in a bit." Rory said, rushing back to her bathroom. She could not believe that she had left the room and not checked to see what she looked like. She looked like a hung-over prom queen. She quickly changed into a pair of jeans and her "Reading is Sexy" t-shirt and washed the make-up off her face. She ran a brush through her hair and brushed her teeth and gave herself a quick once-over. She decided to add a little blush and lip gloss and then made her way back to Logan.

Logan had put away the paper and was sitting at the table with a second cup of coffee, which Rory figured was for her and a stack of about 30 pancakes.

"Aw, you changed." Logan said looking at her. "I kind of enjoyed the Carrie look."

"Wow, flattery will get you everywhere." Rory said sarcastically. "Besides, I don't see you in your tux from last night."

"Well, unlike others I know, I can't sleep until 11." Logan said to her. "I have been up for a while now."

"If you waking up early equates to me getting coffee and pancakes when I wake up, then I will take it." Rory said with a smile. She walked over to him and placed a quick kiss on his head. "By the way, I like the glasses. They make you look smart."

"What are you saying? I am not smart?" Logan said, feigning hurt.

"Exactly." Rory said wickedly.

"Wow, I really got lucky with my girlfriend." Logan laughed as he stood up and grabbed Rory around the waist, before she knew what was happening Logan had her pinned against the couch and his body. Rory let out a squeal as he tickled her stomach and ran a trail of kisses along her neck. He stopped tickling her and his flirtatious kisses turned more passionate as his lips met hers.

After a few minutes of the deep kisses, Rory finally pulled back for air. She could not stop grinning as she looked at the glasses clad Logan.

"Well, good morning to you." Logan said to her.

"Wow, I think I need to get some coffee in me before I have such morning encounters." Rory said laughing.

"Well lucky for you I came bearing gifts." Logan said handing her a large cup of steaming hot liquid gold.

"I really need to keep you around." Rory said after inhaling half the cup.

"Good. I am glad that you deem me worthy." Logan said smiling. "Anyway, Finn, Colin and Steph will be here in a few minutes. They said they would try for noon, but with Finn driving I really don't know what time they will actually get here."

"OH CRAP. I totally forgot they were coming today. I for some reason thought it was later in the week, not Monday. But I guess we only have a week left here, so it makes sense…" Rory said babbling. "I have to get ready." She said after stuffing a few pancakes in her mouth and running back to her bathroom to finish putting on her makeup.

Just as she finished applying her final coat of mascara she heard the doorman buzz to say that Logan had guests. Rory rushed out to greet the rest of the crew. She grinned at Logan as the door opened to reveal his cronies.

"Hey there mate! It has not been the same 'round Connecticut without you." Finn shouted as the door opened.

"Hey Rory." Colin offered to Logan's guests. An awkward silence surrounded the group as they shifted uncomfortably.

"So, how has it been?" Steph asked to no one in particular.

"Good, really good." Logan said. He did not know why things were so weird all of a sudden. He did not like this new development. He wanted everyone to be at ease. He hoped that Rory would fit right in with his friends, and in the past he had thought they did. Now that they were together in a new context, things started to feel off.

"Right, well…I don't know about you Rory, but I came here to go shopping." Steph said to Rory.

Rory smiled at her attempt to break the tension and she nodded in agreement. "Let me go grab my purse and we can go." Rory said, retreating for the bedroom.

Rory sighed as she sank to her bed. She was not fully prepared for today. She had just started to connect fully with Logan and now there was the added dilemma of his friends getting thrown into the mix. This was going to be tough. She knew that she would get along with Steph, but there was so much that she wanted to say to Logan and this was just cramping their momentum.

"So eh, did we interrupt something?" Colin asked Logan, wondering where the tension was stemming from.

"No, not at all. I had to remind Rory of the plan for today just a few minutes ago, so I think she was just not prepared or something." Logan said, trying to explain his girlfriend's behavior.

"Aye, well I hope she prepares soon, because we can't have the reporter cramping our style." Finn said, clasping his hand on Logan's shoulder.

"Rory would never cramp our style." Logan said as Rory ventured back into the living room where the group had congregated. She smiled awkwardly at Logan as she reached for her coat. Logan helped her into the jacket whispering: "it will be fun, don't worry Ace," into her ear.

"Well lets' get going Rory, I want to head up Madison Ave and hit Yves St. Laurent, Prada and Dolce and Gabbana. Oh yeah, and Madison Ave Books is right by Prada, so you can go there too." She said grabbing Rory by the hand and pulling her out the door.

"I don't think your girlfriend knows what hit her." Colin said to Logan as they left.

"I hope that she makes it back in one piece and Steph does not kill her by shopping." Logan said laughing as he too prepared to leave.

"So I thought we would go see a film and then maybe go to the Gotham Comedy Club." Finn said as they made their way out of the apartment. "We have to be back by 7 for the party though. I hope there will be some cute red-heads."

-

"Okay Rory, spill." Steph said to Rory as soon as they left the apartment.

"I don't know what you are talking about." Rory said with a small smile.

"Oh come on, tell me what is going on between you and Logan. I always suspected he had a thing for you, but now all of a sudden you two are playing house?" Steph said, in fun, but still a little harshly.

"I know, it has all happened so fast. One minute we are fighting, the next, we are kissing at midnight on New Year's. I don't know…something about him." Rory said.

"Well, he is an impressive guy, but I didn't think you even liked him." Steph countered.

"I know, I didn't. I thought he was an arrogant jerk. But he has so many layers; it has been an interesting week to say the least." Rory said looking at Steph.

"So things are going good for you two though? I have known Logan for a few years now, and I have never seen him like this, so I guess things are going well for him." Steph said.

"Well, I do have a question for you…" Rory started, a little embarrassed.

"What can I do for you?" Steph asked.

"Well, remember the night of the LADB event? You told me that there was a line to get to him. What exactly did you mean by that? I mean, I understand the line concept, but what happened?" Rory said.

"Well, I am not entirely sure. He spent so much time playing the role of a ladies man, and he never had his shortage of women, but then one day I think he realized that he had feelings for you…so his loose personality just kind of ended…As for the line, I guess they have temporarily given up on him. I think they all knew that you were different. The way he acts around you, and the things he says about you, they just knew they had no chance once you came on the scene." Steph explained.

"So does he talk about me?" Rory asked, interested.

"Of course. That is what tipped off the gang, he never talks about girls, then all of a sudden it was 'Ace this' and 'let's play a joke on Ace.' We knew he liked you a lot, but he had no idea. It was actually quite humorous for Finn, Colin and me, we would egg him on about you, and he was completely oblivious." Steph said with a smirk.

"How long had that been going on?" Rory asked.

"Oh wow, months. You were all he talked about. He had never invited anyone to a LADB event before, and he was anxious to make sure everything was perfect."

"Yeah, he is a stickler for detail." Rory said smiling.

"So you obviously have similar feelings?" Steph asked.

"Ha, is it that evident?"

"You are positively glowing Gilmore!" Steph shouted.

"Well, I have to admit, I have fallen for him. He is quite a guy." Rory said blushing.

"Aww, how adorable, I could completely vomit." Steph laughed.

"Hey gorilla girl, don't be jealous. You could always date Finn." Rory said.

"Yes, and become another notch on his bedpost? No thank you. Anyway, we are here now." Stephanie said pointing to Barney's. "I am excited to find you a dress for tonight."

"Tonight? What is going on tonight? I thought we were just hanging out, who said anything about needing a dress?" Rory said concerned. As much fun as she was having playing dress-up, she was actually looking forward to spending an evening in casual attire.

"Well, apparently it is a surprise. Who am I to spoil the fun." Steph said with an air of mystery.


	18. The Group

Chapter 18

The Group

Rory stood in the dressing room admiring herself in the mirror. She had to admit, Stephanie had a knack for picking out dresses. The simple black floor-length dress fit snugly revealing her curves. It had a simple sheen to it that made her eyes pop and he cheeks glow. Stephanie had said she did not need a ball gown for tonight, rather an elegant dress. Rory was actually glad she got to spend a night away from the taffeta that seemed to be continually following her and Logan.

"Rory, I found another dress, I think this one is perfect." Stephanie shouted through the dressing room door.

"I like this one though Steph!" Rory yelled back.

"Seriously, try this one; I think it will look amazing on you."

Rory sighed and accepted the dress. She inspected the gown and decided it was not too terrible and she could give it a shot. If it was not right she was definitely going to get the black one.

Rory stripped out of the first dress and slowly placed the more revealing dress of Stephanie liking on. She stood staring wide eyed at her reflection. The low cut blood-red dress revealed more skin than Rory would usually dare to show in public. The front of the dress v-necked to her mid-chest revealing more than just a little cleavage. She slowly turned to admire the back of the dress, or rather, the lack of back. The dress was cut dangerously low. An inch or two more and it would reveal her backside.

"I am not coming out wearing this!" Rory yelled out to Steph.

"Oh come on Rory, let me see it!" Stephanie shouted.

"Seriously, I won't be wearing this anyway, so why even bother?"

"Fine, you won't wear it, but please just let me see it." Stephanie said again.

Not wanting to hear her complain, Rory hesitantly exited the confines of her changing room.

"Are you happy now?" Rory said crossing her arms in front of her.

Steph did not respond, but her jaw dropping said enough for Rory.

"Yeah, it is way too revealing for me." Rory said.

"No, Rory, it makes you look…amazing." Steph said in complete shock. She had never really seen Rory as Logan's type, but now she was starting to see what he saw in her. Rory was beautiful; there was no doubt about it, and this dress, as sexy as it was, made this more mature Rory look stunning.

"I really think you need to consider this as an option." Steph said to her.

"Yeah right, if I make one wrong move my ass or chest will be completely exposed for the world to see." Rory said, not swaying.

"Nonsense, we just use a little strategically placed tape and you will have no worries." Steph said smirking.

"Steph, I don't think this dress is going to work, seriously." Rory said.

"Come on Rory, you only live once, wear the dress. And look, it is on sale, it is only 200!"

Rory sighed, the other dress was 500, and she really could not afford it, but it was an amazing dress and she would have paid it…but Stephanie was right too. She always played the good girl, and the black dress fit this stereotype. The red dress was so different from anything else she had ever worn and she would love to see the look on Logan's face when she came out with it on.

"You know what Stephanie? I think I am going to do it." Rory said with a grin. "Just don't forget the tape!"

"Yay! Rory, you are going to drive Logan crazy." Stephanie said laughing.

After another few hours of non-stop shopping, Rory found herself buying a pair of three inch black strappy heels to accompany the daring dress, a few books from the book-store next door and a small satin bag that matched the shoes.

"Rory, lets head back to the apartment and get ready, I think we are leaving at 7, so we won't have much time." Steph said glancing at the clock that was dangerously close to 6pm.

Stephanie and Rory entered the apartment to the sounds of the three men playing video games.

"It's about time the two of you came back." Finn shouted over the noise of screeching tires from the TV.

"We thought that we were going to have to leave without you." Colin said in agreement.

"Come on now, give the girls a break. They were shopping in New York City, what do you expect?" Logan said smiling at Rory.

"Blah Blah Blah, we don't have much time. Come on Rory, let's go get ready." Stephanie said grabbing Rory's hand and dragging her into the bathroom adjoined to her room.

Stephanie helped Rory put her hair up in a fashionable twist and she did Rory's make-up in a smoldering-temptress look that made Rory almost unrecognizable. Finally Rory added the dress and she had to admit, she looked good. Her outfit screamed sex and her makeup totally transformed Rory into a more confident version of herself.

Stephanie had chosen a black dress that was similar to the one Rory contemplated picking out, with one subtle difference, her dress had cost over 2,000. Rory could not even imagine spending that kind of money on a dress, especially one that you would probably only wear once or twice.

Stephanie emerged from first to a room of three smartly dressed men. They were pleasantly surprised by their female companion's attire.

"Okay men…prepare yourselves." Stephanie said looking directly at Logan. "Get out here Gilmore!" She shouted towards the closed door.

Ever so slowly Rory opened the door. She noticed her hands were shaking as she took a deep breath and prepared herself for her grand entrance.

"Rory, what are you waiting for, these guys are getting impatient." Stephanie said.

Rory shakily entered the living room to a room filled with what could only be described as ogling men. Logan could not tear his eyes away from his girlfriend's body. She looked utterly unrecognizable. He could not believe that this was the same innocent Rory that he was falling in love with.

Finn was of course the first to speak. "If things don't work out with you and Logan tonight, I would be proud to take you home with me." He said to Rory.

Logan shook his head as if he were clearing his thoughts and finally spoke. "Ace…wow." Was all he could say.

Rory let out a little laugh. "You act as though you have never seen a dress before."

"Well not one like that…on you." Logan said with an appraising voice.

"Come on guys, it is just a dress. Now would you please all close your mouths and get your coats, I am hungry." Rory said laughing.

"I think it would be a sin to cover that dress up with a coat." Finn said as Logan helped Rory into her coat.

"Well I am not going to freeze to death just so you can gawk at me." Rory said pouting.

Rory was filled with a whole new sort of confidence. Although she would never wear something like this again, for one night it was fun to play the smoldering temptress and have the guys ogle her. Sure it took some getting used to, but she had to admit, she really liked all the attention.

"So where are we going anyway?" Rory asked as they slid into the limo that was waiting for them outside.

"Well I guess we can tell you now." Logan said smiling. "We are going out to a restaurant called Alain Ducasse at the Essex House. It is a very nice French restaurant where they serve some of the best food in New York. Luckily I could get us a table under my father's name." Logan said with a smile.

"Well it sounds quite fancy." Rory said, looking forward to the contrast in dining from Luke's.

"Oh trust me, it is quite fancy." Colin said to Rory. "I can't believe we even got in. My step-mom has been harassing my dad for months to get them a table there."

"Yes, apparently the Huntzberger name will get you anywhere." Steph said.

"Hey now, it is not my fault that I was born into a privileged family!" Logan said. "As Spiderman said, with great power comes great responsibility…I am using my power for the good of my friends, so you all should really be thanking me."

"Oh silly me, what was I thinking Peter Parker?" Rory said, punching him in the arm.

"Does that make you the MJ that I have been pinning over?" Logan asked her.

"Do I have to die my hair red?" Rory asked innocently.

"Nah, it would clash with your sexy dress." Logan said in a voice dripping in innuendo.

"Ah come on guys, do we have to leave?" Colin asked feigning disgust.

With that said, Rory grabbed Logan and leaned in for a steamy kiss. She pulled away from a very shocked looking Logan. The rest of the group just whistled in response while Rory and Logan sat like grinning fools.

"I think I am liking this new sexified Rory." Logan said to her.

"I am quite enjoying it too…but don't get used to it. You will have to play innocent schoolboy tomorrow to make up for it. The glasses this morning were a nice start." Rory said laughing.

"Wow, I did not know you were into role-playing Gilmore. Are you sure you like this one Logan? It sounds like she is just my type." Finn said to his friend.

"I don't know what has taken over her. What did you do to her today Steph?" Logan said smirking.

"I only dressed her!" Stephanie said innocently.

"As much as I enjoy you all talking about my sexuality, I do believe we arrived at the restaurant." Rory said glancing out the window.

"Right, well I do suppose we can continue this conversation later tonight." Logan whispered to Rory, sending chills down her spine.

The dinner was fairly uneventful. The five friends chatted over 80 meals and bottles of wine. By the time they finished their dissert they were all fairly inebriated.

"I don't want to go back to the hotel!" Finn shouted as they stumbled back to the limo.

"I agree. I think we should go to a jazz club or something." Colin volunteered.

"Urgh, no thank you." Rory said, drunk enough to convey her true feelings of jazz.

"Okay then Ace, what would you like to do." Logan asked his girlfriend.

"Hmm." Rory thought in silence for a moment until her features lit up and she came up with a plan for the remaining portion of the night. She knocked on the window of the limo and Frank answered Rory's call.

"What can I do for you ma'am?" He asked.

Rory whispered something to Frank, he nodded and they were on their way.

"Secrets Rory?" Stephanie asked.

"Oh trust me, it will be fun." Rory said with a gleam in her eye.

After a few minutes driving the limo pulled up to the curb in front of a very dodgy looking bar.

"Right, well maybe the hotel sounds good." Stephanie said glancing at the bar.

"No wait, just come in, if you don't like it we can leave." Rory said hoping the inside was not as sketchy as the outside. She had only seen the place in passing earlier that day when she was shopping with Stephanie. Ordinarily she would not have been interested in the sign in the window, but she was drunk enough to actually want to give it a shot.

"Did I just see what I think I saw?" Finn asked Rory.

"I believe you did Finn." Rory said excitedly.

"YES, I LOVE Karaoke!" Finn yelled excitedly. "Why did you not think of this Logan?"

"Probably because nobody wants to hear you sing…ever." Logan responded to Finn.

Rory lead the way to the bar and luckily the dive establishment seemed to not care about the ages of the group and just looked relieved to have a few actual customers.

Rory walked up to the bartender and picked up a three-ring-binder and brought it over to the high-top table the group had selected.

"What do you have there Ace?" Logan asked her.

"It's the book of song choices we have. I thought you may want to start us out because you are in fact a Huntzberger." Rory said, mocking his earlier comments.

"You are hilarious Ace, but trust me, you don't want me singing." Logan said to her.

"No way Logan, you are not backing out of this. Your sexy girlfriend asked you to sing, and if you don't, after she hears me I think she will change her mind about which LADB member she wants to date." Finn said to Logan.

Logan sighed as he thumbed through the pages of the book. Unfortunately the book had not been updated since the early 90s, so their selections were limited to mostly 80s monster ballads.

With a sly smile Logan took the stage and programmed his song into the monitor. Rory fidgeted in her seat, getting a little nervous of the song he had chosen.

The music started and the group groaned in unison as Logan started singing:

Now I've had the time of my life  
No, I never felt like this before  
Yes, I swear, it's the truth  
And I owe it all to you  
'cause I've had the time of my life  
And I owe it all to you

I've been waiting for so long  
Now I've finally found someone to stand by me  
We saw the writing on the wall  
As we felt this magical fantasy  
Now with passion in our eyes  
There's no way we could disguise it secretly  
So we take each other's hand  
'cause we seem to understand the urgency  
Just remember

You're the one thing I can't get enough of  
So I'll tell you something, this could be love because

"Oh my lord, he is horrible." Rory said laughing at Logan's attempt at singing.

"Yes, but my dear, he is singing it for you." Finn said, laughing at his best friend.

Logan stepped off the stage and brought his performance up to Rory. He finished the song kneeling in front of her in a dramatic presentation which left Rory a shade of red that matched her dress.

Once he returned his mic, Logan sat down next to Rory and delivered the worrisome news that Rory was to go next.

A very drunk Rory took the stage and began signing one of the corniest love songs of the 80s.

Lying beside you, here in the dark  
Feeling your heart beat with mind  
Softly you whisper, you're so sincere  
How could our live be so blind  
We sailed on together  
We drifted apart  
And here you are by my side

So now i come to you, with open arms  
Nothing to hide, believe what i say  
So here i am with open arms

Hoping you'll see what your love means to me  
Open arms

Living without you, living alone  
This empty house seems so cold  
Wanting to hold you, wanting you near  
How much i wanted you home

But now that you've come back  
Turned night into day  
I need you to stay.

Rory wished she had been blessed with some sort of musical talent, but unfortunately she severely lacked in that area. Instead of attempting a valid performance, she chose to crash and burn with style.

With more confidence than she actually had, she strode up to Logan, sat on his lap and proceeded to serenade the remaining chorus to him in her very tone-death voice.

Once she finished she received a standing ovation from the crowd. She was unsure if this was because she had finally finished or if they were actually impressed with her song. She was betting it was the first of the two.

"Wow Ace, I never knew you had such talent." Logan said pinching Rory as she sat down.

"Well Logan, I tried to make you look good. I do it all for you." She said rolling her eyes.

Rory stifled a yawn as she glanced at Logan. Her full day of shopping and the late night the evening before had finally caught up to Rory and she was barely able to keep her eyes open.

"Are you going to make it Ace?" Logan whispered to her.

"I am pretty tired." Rory said to him. "What time is it anyway?"

Logan glanced at his watch and relieved her when he said it was nearly 2am. That meant the bar would be closing in a few minutes and the gang would be forced to leave.

With that, the bartender shouted his last call and asked everyone to leave. Finn, Colin and Stephanie decided to call a taxi to take them back to their hotel and they bid the couple farewell as they left the bar.

"So we will see you at school next week Mate?" Finn asked.

"Yeah, I should be back on Sunday." Logan said to him as he entered the taxi.

"It was good seeing you hot-stuff!" Finn shouted to Rory as the cab pulled away.

Rory laughed as she entered the limo with Logan and took off for the apartment.

"I had a really good time tonight Logan." Rory said to him.

"As did I Ace. And might I add, you looked gorgeous."

"Flattery will get you everywhere sir." Rory said raising her eyebrow suggestively.

"Why my dear Ace, what are you suggesting?" Logan asked feigning innocence.

"You only wish." Rory said playfully hitting him. "Besides, I am far too tired to try to seduce you tonight."

"Like you would even have to try to seduce me." Logan said seriously.

"If I were not drunk and tired I think I may fear for what my actions may turn into." Rory said letting her eyes drift shut.

"Not again Rory! I am not going to carry you up to your room again." Logan said poking the snoozing Rory.

Rory forced herself into a sitting position and sighed as she concentrated on keeping her eyes open. As soon as the limo pulled to a stop, Rory rushed out and into the apartment complex. She stripped into her pajamas and was in bed in a matter of minutes. She glanced over at the empty half of her bed and yelled.

"LOGAN?"

"Yeah Ace?" He shouted back through the apartment.

"Aren't you going to sleep in here?" She yelled back.

Logan emerged in her room with a grin standing before her in his boxers. He silently slipped into her bed whispering "as you wish."

Soon thereafter the two drifted into a sound sleep. Both slept with a grin on their faces that would stay till the morning.

**Right-o. This was a longer one…I hope you all liked it. I do very much appreciate reviews, and I thank you all for giving me feedback on this story. This is my first fanfic, so I am really glad that you all like it…I guess that means I should probably continue. Anyway, let me know if you have any requests for upcoming chapters, as of now I am kinda pulling this stuff out of nowhere.**


	19. Surprise!

**ladyjr16****** **Yes, I was in fact quoting "A Princess Bride" with Logan's 'As you wish.' I actually think that he has a lot of the same characteristics, I found it kinda funny.**

**Emily from Canada: I have actually never watched the OC, so I did not mean for it to resemble something out of one of their episodes with the "slutty dress." I just wanted Rory to let loose a little bit, and I think she accomplished that in the previous chapter.**

**As for everybody else, thanks for the awesome reviews! I am enjoying writing this and I will continue as long as I know you are reading (aka reviewing). I don't want to beg for reviews…but…this is me begging! **

Chapter 19

The News

Rory yawned silently as she stretched her arms out to her sides. As she finished her stretch her hand came into contact with Logan's head. Apparently Logan had spent the night…did she invite him? She could not remember. Was she dressed? She lifted the sheets to peer at her pajama clad body, exhaling in relief.

It was all starting to come back to her…the dress, the karaoke, the invitation.

She felt Logan stir in bed next to her, and she held her breath hoping she had not woken him with her flailing arms. Logan turned over and faced Rory.

"Hey there Ace." He said looking at her. "Did you hit me?" He asked rubbing his head where her arm had made contact.

"Oh um, yeah sorry about that. You got in the way of my stretch." Rory said slightly embarrassed.

Logan leaned in for a wake-up kiss, but Rory pulled away. He looked at her confused. Did Rory have a change of heart? Why was she pulling away from him? He did not have to analyze her action for much longer though, because Rory had sunk back into the bed and pulled the sheets above her head.

Logan chuckled a little. "What are you doing down there Ace?" He asked the mound that was Rory.

"Morning breath…cotton mouth…hung over…can't kiss." Was all he made out through the comforter.

"Oh…right." Logan said, getting the gist. Rory was too self-conscious to kiss him before brushing her teeth, and the alcohol consumption of the night before had left her with a terrible case of cotton mouth that did not help the situation.

Logan swung his legs over the bed and walked out of the room. He returned a minute later with a glass of water and a piece of gum. Rory gave him a perplexed look and he responded saying "the sooner we get the cotton mouth issue resolved and the bad breath complex corrected, the sooner I get to kiss you good morning." Logan said, handing her the water. Rory graciously took the glass and gulped it down in a matter of seconds. She then popped the gum in her mouth and Logan gave her a whole 30 seconds before he went back in for a kiss.

This time Rory did not back away. They shared a very intimate kiss that left Rory gum-less and Logan chewing.

"Well good morning Ace." Logan said blowing a bubble.

Rory let out a little giggle as she made her way into the kitchen to make some breakfast. She searched the cabinets in search of cereal or something quick to make the two of them. She had never been one to make big breakfasts, even in college her morning staple usually consisted of cereal. Sighing, Rory took out the toaster and placed a couple slices of bread in the contraption. After a few minutes of nothing, Rory was concerned that she may have broken it.

"LOGAN, the toaster's broke." Rory shouted to him as he exited his room post-shower with a mere towel wrapped around his waste.

"I am sure it is not broken. Do you know how to work it?" He asked her smiling.

Rory was slightly distracted by the sight of the half naked Logan, gleaming with the remnants of his shower.

"I think we are going to have to suffice with raw toast." Rory said with a sigh.

"Raw toast? Wow, it is a good thing I am not looking for a woman who can cook." Logan said as he walked over to the toaster and plugged it in.

"Don't look at me like that!" Rory yelled, her cheeks flushing red. "I have not had my coffee yet, so sue me."

Logan had a witty comeback prepared as they heard the door buzzer sound. "Who the hell could be here this early?" Logan said glancing at the clock that read 10:30am.

Logan made his way to the door and opened it to reveal a much disheveled Lorelai. She looked Logan up and down noting his lack of clothing.

"Do you usually answer the door dressed like that?" Lorelai asked.

"Only for Gilmore's." Logan said blushing. "I will just be…going." He said, making his way to his room.

"MOM!" Rory said, dropping her toast on the counter and making her way to her mother. "What are you doing here?" Rory asked concerned.

"I needed my best friend." Lorelai said as she enveloped Rory in a hug.

"What is going on?" Rory asked, starting to freak out.

"Maybe we should sit?" Lorelai suggested, pointing to the couch. She led Rory over to the living room and she started to tell her the story that ended with her at Logan's doorstep.

"Last night I was with Luke." Lorelai started. "Everything seemed really weird. He was acting really off. I did not want to press it, because he has been in a little bit of a funk since the party after Emily and Dad yelled at him…anyway, he was just being odd, jumpy kind of. Anyway, we went out to eat at the same restaurant that he took me to on our first official date. I was a little scared that he was going to break up with me, but then I did not think Luke would be the type to do the deed in public…"

"Mom, please stop rambling! What happened?" Rory said panicked.

"Anyway, we started eating, and he finally just gave up and sat there watching me. When I asked him what was wrong he flushed and then said something like 'I guess now is as good of a time as any…' and he got down on one knee and he proposed to me. He said that after almost losing me once, he never wanted to go through that again. He said that the first time he ever laid eyes on me he fell for me and he wanted to share the rest of his life with me." Lorelai finished with a small smile.

Rory smacked her mother on the arm. "Mom, don't scare me like that, I thought something horrible happened. I can't believe he finally proposed! Let me see the ring!" Rory said babbling.

"Well, I don't have the ring." Her mother started.

"Why don't you have the ring? Didn't you say yes?" Rory said confused.

"Not yet. I wanted to talk to you first. You come first, and I want to make sure that you are good with this. I told him that I had to run it by you before I agree to it. He is coming into a family here, not just me."

"Mom, that worked when I was 16, but I am an adult now. You don't need to get my permission to marry Luke!" Rory said exasperated. "I can't believe you would even hesitate to answer him."

Rory watched as her mom reached for her purse. She slowly extracted a small box and removed the ring that was held inside. As she placed the extravagant ring on her finger she smiled and said, "Yeah, I knew you would say that. I was kidding, I totally said yes!"

Rory looked at her mother and screamed as she embraced her. "I can't believe it, you guys are going to be married!" Rory said still hugging her mother.

Logan hurried out of his room, this time fully clothed, to check to make sure everything was okay. He heard Rory scream and he feared the worst. "What is going on? Is everything okay? Why is Rory screaming?"

Lorelai pulled away from Rory and greeted her daughter's boyfriend. "Yes, everything is fine, I was just sharing with Rory the great news. Luke proposed to me last night, and I had to rush over here to tell her as soon as I could."

"Congratulations Lorelai, that is great news!" Logan said sincerely. "Will you be staying in New York long?"

"Already trying to get rid of me Logan?" Lorelai said grinning at him.

"Not at all. I was just thinking the three of us could go out to lunch to celebrate if you were staying." He responded smoothly. "Rory was having trouble making breakfast for us, and it is already late enough to get lunch anyway."

"I told Sookie that I was taking the day off, so I really don't have to be back until later."

"Great, let me just go take a quick shower and I will be ready." Rory said jumping up.

Lorelai stayed sitting on the couch. After a minute of silence, she was the first to speak. "You know you can sit down, I am not going to bite."

"Oh, um, yeah, sure." Logan said hesitantly.

As he sat down he prepared himself for what he knew was about to ensue.

"Now that I am alone with you, I want to get a few things out in the open." Lorelai started. "I am sure you have gathered by now that Rory and I have a very close relationship. As much as I did not like her getting involved with a high-society guy, she has apparently fallen for you and I can't tell her who she can and cannot date. I want you to know that she tells me everything, and if I so much as gather you have hurt her, you will be sorry. You have already met Luke, and trust me, you have not seen half of his protective nature. Rory is something special, and for your safety, the sooner you learn this, the better."

"Okay. Well, I want to say something to you as well. Over the past week I have gone through a complete emotional rollercoaster. I have never felt this way about anyone before, and I am not planning on jeopardizing this. I want what Rory and I have to last, and I plan on adoring her for a long time to come. I want you to trust me when I tell you that my intentions with Rory are completely honorable and I am here for the long haul. I realize that she means the world to you, and visa-versa, for that, I want to be on good terms with you. I am falling in love with your daughter Lorelai, and the sooner you learn this, the better." Logan finished, mimicking the threatening tone Lorelai had used.

"Well Logan, I can honestly say that you impress me. I think that you may in fact grow on me. Just watch your step, not only around me, but around Stars Hallow as well. Rory has secured a special place in all of their hearts, and if you make one false move you can trust me when I tell you I won't be the only one after your head."

"Well I suppose that is good news for me, because I plan on treating Rory like the queen she is…as corny as that sounds. Rory is the most important thing in my life, and I plan on keeping her so. You don't have to worry about me Lorelai."

"Rory is getting older, and she has never really been in such an intense of a relationship as this. Sure with Dean they confessed their love for one another, but she was only 16, she did not know what she was feeling…now, I can tell, something is different. I want to trust you Logan, she really seems to like you. I am going to give you a shot here, which is more than I have done in the past. When you guys get married though, I want to sit next to Donald Trump." Lorelai finished with a laugh. The more she thought about it though, the more she could see the two of them together. It was apparent that Logan and Rory worked. He was a very intelligent man, much more so than Dean, he was smooth and friendly—possessing an air about him that could win anyone over, something that Jess surely had none of, and he was sincere in his feelings for her daughter, something that Jess and Dean were not too skilled at.

"Well I am glad we had this talk." Lorelai said as she stood up from the couch. "I am going to make a quick pot of coffee for me and Rory."

No more than a minute after the coffee had finished brewing, Rory emerged from her room, dressed and ready to face the day with her boyfriend and her mother. She slowly walked into the kitchen where she found her hovered over a cup of coffee. "So how was your talk with Logan?" Rory asked smiling.

"I don't know what you are talking about." Lorelai said, not looking up from the depths of her mug.

"Sure mom, whatever you say. You lasted a whole 2 hours with Dean before you laid on the 'don't mess with my kid' act, and I know you must have already had the talk with Logan by now too." Rory said.

"Well, you may be right." Lorelai said. "We just came to an agreement. I really like this one kid." Lorelai said to her daughter.

"Does that mean I have to break up with him?" Rory asked in mock shock.

"Why would you have to do that?"

"Well, since when have you ever liked a guy I have dated?" Rory asked.

"See, the thing is, you don't date. You went from a mock marriage to Dean, to an intense connection to Jess. If I do recall, the one date you did go on was a major disaster. Anyway, this next love…he is different. I can see good things happening between the two of you. I don't want to jinx anything, but yeah…he is a keeper." Lorelai said, finally settling with the fact that her only daughter was growing up and finding someone who would most likely replace her as best friend and confidant. She knew the day would come, and she was trying to convince herself that she would be okay with it…now that it was here; she doubted her readiness to let her daughter go.

"Mom, quit being so dramatic. We are here to celebrate Luke's proposal, not finalize my dowry."

Just then Logan walked into the kitchen. "What is this about Rory's Dowry? Do I get something for dating her?" He said, as he casually slung his arm around her shoulders.

"Ha, sure Logan, you get the pleasure of my company." Rory said hitting him. "Anyway, I am starving; can we please get out of here and go eat?"

"Me too. Where are we going Logan?" Lorelai asked.

"I was thinking Sarabeth's Kitchen. She serves waffles, sticky-buns, scones and coffee."

Lorelai was already out of her seat and in her coat by the time he finished ticking off the menu. "What are you guys waiting for?" She asked impatiently by the door.

**What are they waiting for? Get it, like in the grand scheme of things, what are they waiting for. I am thinking I want to progress things along after their New York trip to years down the line post college. Does anybody have problems with that? Please R & R!**


	20. The End of the Line

Okay guys, this is the last chapter for this story. I am going to continue this Logan/Rory relationship in another story, just set further down the line.

**So please enjoy this final chapter, and stay tuned for the sequel!**

Chapter 20

The End of the Line

Rory rested her head on her now familiar bed-mate. They only had one more night together in New York, and then it was back to the harsh reality of Yale and life outside of this fairytale.

After Lorelai's visit, Rory felt rejuvenated and ready to see what else was to come with her relationship with Logan. Her mom's stamp of approval was discerning, but also exhilarating.

They had spent the last few days doing the tourist thing. They saw David Letterman's show, they visited the statue of Liberty, they went to CBGB and caught a concert, they went shopping and they visited all of the museums that Rory had wanted to see. Now it was Friday night, and they were in bed together trying to sleep. Tomorrow was their last full day in New York. They would be leaving on Sunday to head back to Yale and back to their lives.

Rory shifted and sighed. She really liked this protected relationship they had developed in New York. If felt as though they were invincible here, but at school it would be a whole new story. She knew that this feeling could never last at Yale, but she hoped that they could hold on to it as long as possible.

Rory was finally able to drift off into a restless sleep, her mind still racing about what their relationship would hold.

The next morning, Rory woke up to the familiar sent of coffee and pancakes. She really enjoyed the days that Logan woke up first, he always had breakfast waiting for her, and it was always perfect. The days that Rory was the first to rise, it was usually burnt toast or cereal.

Rory walked into the kitchen to find Logan over the stove with his sleeves rolled up and a spatula in his hand. "I love a man who can cook." Rory said giving him a kiss on the cheek.

"I love a woman who admires my greatness." Logan said with his familiar cocky demeanor.

"Isn't it too early for your ego to be awake?" Rory said laughing.

"No way, my ego never sleeps."

"So this is it." Rory said looking around the apartment.

"This is it." Logan said looking to Rory.

"What do you have planned for us?" Rory asked Logan, hoping he had something in mind for their last night together.

"Well, I thought we could go back to the bookstore we went to the first day we were here, I know you had more shopping you wanted to get done there, and then I had something kind of special planned for this evening." Logan said with a gleam in his eye.

"Great, I really wanted to get back to that bookstore. It was so amazing, but the whole ex-boyfriend thing kind of dampened its appeal." Rory said. "Let's just hope we don't see one of your former girlfriends today."

"Oh I surely doubt it. I had them all sent to California for the duration of our New York stay, so we should be in the clear."

"I do hope you are joking." Rory said looking towards him.

"Yes, you are right; I thought the moon may be safer." Logan said laughing. He looked into Rory's still unsettled eyes and gently took her into his arms. "Don't worry kid, I only have eyes for you." He said, placing a kiss on her lips. She returned the kiss with more passion, and only parted when they were desperate for air.

After a three hour shopping trip, Rory and Logan entered the apartment laden with five bags of heavy books.

"Really, when I said it was my treat I did not think you would go this crazy." Logan said as he dropped the bags to the floor.

"Well, when your rich boyfriend offers to pay for your books, you take the opportunity to its fullest." Rory said kissing him on the check. "But seriously, thank you so much. This is one of the nicest presents I could have ever received."

"Hey, no problem. For you, I would buy the whole bookstore."

"Aww, aren't you a charmer?" Rory said smiling at him.

"Well, you know me." Logan said placing a quick kiss on her lips. Before it could turn more passionate, he pulled away. "It is getting late, and we have reservations at 7." Logan said, checking his watch.

"Oh right. Well, I am going to go take a shower then." Rory said, slightly disappointed in the less than stellar kiss.

"I put something on your bed for you to wear tonight if you don't mind." Logan said as he made his way to his bathroom.

"Okay, thanks." Rory said, again disappointed. She was getting a little uncomfortable with how he felt the need to dress her. She enjoyed the attention, but she was not his play toy. She made a mental note that she would have to discuss this with him.

As Rory made her way to the bathroom, she glanced at her bed and noticed the black dress that she was contemplating buying a few days earlier with Steph. Rory grinned as she stepped into the steaming shower. Steph must have told him about the other dress, and she had to admit, she was glad she had. Rory really wanted the black dress, but she knew she could not afford it. She knew she would have to give Logan a very personal thank you later that night.

As Rory went through the methodical process of putting her hair up and applying her makeup, she let her mind wander to that night. She was anxious to find out what Logan had in mind for their last night in New York.

Once she completed her makeup, she left her room and headed towards the living room. Logan was waiting for her in another one of his remarkable suits. He held his hands behind his back hiding something from her.

"What do you have there mister?" Rory asked intrigued.

"Which hand?" Logan asked her seriously.

"Which hand…hmm, I am quite fond of the right one." Rory said pointing.

Logan smiled and revealed his hand that clutched a red long-stemmed rose. He offered it to Rory and she graciously accepted it and smelt its fragrance.

"Do you want the left one too?" Logan asked.

"Wow, I get both?" Rory said excitedly.

Logan revealed his other hand which held a rather large cup of coffee.

"Ahh, even better than the rose." Rory said as she again smelled its delicious fragrance.

"Shall we?" Logan asked, offering Rory his arm.

She took it and he led her down to their waiting limo.

Frank drove the pair to what appeared to be an abandoned warehouse and opened the door for the two to exit.

"Are you planning on mugging me?" Rory asked wide eyed as they made their way down the ally.

"No offense Ace, but I don't think you really have anything on you that I want…well I mean monetarily wise." Logan said as he looked her up and down.

Flushing with the innuendo, Rory managed a small laugh and held onto Logan's arm tighter as he opened a large door marked "Do Not Enter."

Logan cautiously guided Rory through the dark warehouse until they finally stumbled upon a candle-lit table for two. Logan pulled back one of the chairs and motioned for Rory to take a seat.

"Can we be here?" Rory asked in shock.

"My dad owns the building; I don't think anybody will mind." Logan said as he slid off his coat and sat down.

As soon as they were both seated, a very dapper looking Zach approached the two with a bottle of red wine.

"Wine for the lady?" He asked, shifting uncomfortably in the tailed tuxedo.

"Zach? What are you doing here?" He asked her.

"Zach, Lane and Brian were kind enough to help me out tonight." Logan explained. "It turns out the high school reunion did not pay that much, and I offered them a deal they really could not refuse." Logan said.

Rory watched as Lane approached the table, also sporting a full tailed-tuxedo. She held a serving tray and set down their meals in front of them. It was obvious Lane was trying not to break out in an ear to ear grin as she tried to remain composed throughout the evening.

Rory looked down at her plate and saw a hamburger and fries. She smiled and whispered to Lane, "Thank Luke for me please."

"Oh I will." Lane said straightening up. "Can I get you two anything else?"

"No thank you Lane." Rory said smiling at her.

Lane could not hide her smile anymore. Her grin lit up her face as she went to stand by Zach with the wine.

Rory and Logan ate their dinner speaking in hushed tones. It had been nearly two weeks since Rory had one of Luke's hamburgers, and she was so glad that Logan had brought one to her, she missed them.

After they finished the burgers, Zach came out once again, this time with an impressive chocolate cake.

"Sookie even helped me out." Logan told her taking Rory's hand from across the table.

"Wow, you really do know the way to my heart. First coffee and now Luke's burgers and Sookie's cake!" Rory said smiling.

Logan cut Rory a slice and fed her the first bite. She felt saliva pool in her mouth as the delicious chocolate melted with the raspberry layer. God, Sookie really knew how to bake.

Rory made a mental note to keep the last of the cake and give it to Lane and her band. She was so excited that they were here, but she also felt bad that they had to serve her.

After they finished their cake, Rory noticed Brian turn on a bank of lights that pointed to a stage set up in front of them. The stage had been invisible in their dark surroundings, but now she noticed a stool and an acoustic guitar sitting beside an amplifier.

"You are not planning on singing again are you?" Rory asked jokingly.

"Not quite." Logan said as someone took the stage.

Rory watched as the man reached down and grabbed his guitar. He looked extremely familiar, but Rory could not place him. The man smiled at the couple and started strumming his guitar.

"So this one is for Rory." He said as he started strumming the notes. Before he began singing Rory knew instantly who it was. Howie Day.

"But…how?" Rory asked Logan as he watched Howie perform.

"He actually lives in New York, and he is not on tour currently, so I made a few phone calls, and he agreed to help me out." Logan said as Howie began singing:

The dawn is breaking  
A light shining through  
You're barely waking  
And I'm tangled up in you

I'm open, you're closed  
Where I follow, you'll go  
I worry I won't see your face  
Light up again

Even the best fall down sometimes  
Even the wrong words seem to rhyme  
Out of the doubt that fills my mind  
I somehow find  
You and I collide

Logan stood up and offered his hand to Rory. The two of them danced together as they had the night of the Breast Cancer event. Rory could not believe that she was dancing with this beautiful man while one of her favorite singers performed for the two of them.

"This is amazing Logan." Rory whispered to him.

"You are amazing Rory." Logan responded, kissing her softly on her neck. Logan felt a slight chill run through Rory's body with his delicate kiss. He took a deep breath and spoke again.

"Hey Ace?" Logan said to her as he stopped dancing to the music.

"Yes?" Rory said, gazing up at Logan.

"Ace, I love you." Logan said to her.

Rory stood in shock. She was not expecting him to reveal the true depths of his feelings so soon. She had dated Dean for three months before he said he loved her, but it had only been weeks since Rory and Logan started dating. Maybe it was the romantic night, maybe it was Logan's arms wrapped around her, maybe it was Lane's eyes watching her expectantly, but Rory felt it too.

"I love you too." Rory said softly.

With that said, Logan embraced Rory in a passionate kiss. Her knees went weak and her heart went insane as their lips explored one another.

Howie started singing another song while the two morphed into one.

It's the perfect time of day  
It's the last day of your life  
Don't let it drift away   
While your heart is still racing  
It's the perfect time of day 

And you wont feel a thing  
And you wont recall anything at all

Close your eyes and take your last breath  
Press your head aside, the end is the beginning  
Everyone between is so lost, so lost.

After a few more dances, and a few more I love yous, Rory and Logan went back to the Limo and headed towards the apartment.

"Tonight was amazing Logan." Rory said in between kisses.

"I don't think it could have been any better." Logan agreed.

They broke apart once again as they made their way up to the apartment. Once the door was safely locked, Logan turned back to Rory and wrapped his arms around her. They slowly inched their way to her room as Logan shredded his jacket. By the time they made it to her bed, Logan was standing in his boxers followed by a trail of clothing that lead its way back to the door. Rory was still fully dressed as Logan placed his lips on the delicate skin on her neck.

"Are you sure?" Logan asked Rory as she unzipped her dress.

"Yes." Rory stated simply.

"Are you really truly sure?"

"Yes."

"I really don't want you to regret this Rory." Logan said.

"You said my name." Rory said.

"Well, I want to make sure you are ready. I am serious." Logan said.

"Logan, you are ruining the moment." Rory said with a laugh.

"Okay, well, I just wanted to be sure." Logan said, as he unclipped her bra.

As Rory and Logan made love, Rory had no doubts this time. It was the next logical step and she knew that they both shared the same feelings for one another.

That night Rory laid in bed as Logan slept next to her. No matter what would happen between the two of them once they went back to Yale, she knew that she would remember this night for the rest of her life.

**THE END!**

**That is it for this part! I am going to update soon, hopefully next week with the start of part two. Let me know if you want to see something specific happen in the post Yale years. I already have quite a few ideas, but I am open to suggestion!**

**Keep your eyes peeled for: A Similar Expectation **


End file.
